The Fantastic Aurions
by lloyd-forever
Summary: As Anna makes a difficult decision in order to save her family, the Aurions learn that their strength goes beyond normal bounds when it comes to their son. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, from the moment they came together, their power as a family was stronger than anything.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N's: It has been a long time since I've uploaded or updated anything. I will be getting back to finishing what I still have in progress but, I wanted to post what I'd been working on while I edit the other fics. Feedback would be loved and adored.  
I tried to edit this as best as I could... I will update it as I find any silly mistakes. Please enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter 1: We thought we would continue on forever

"_Life's a game and it's not fair... I break the rules so I don't care." _

_~ Run this town by Jay Z ft. Rihanna and Kanye West_

She held Lloyd close to her, gently petting his head while running her hands through his hair as she rocked herself in a chair. She'd been considering something for a little while. Kratos would refuse at first. He would most likely be horrified that she'd even suggest such a thing. She glanced down at her baby boy, and sighed. His face was against her chest, seemed so peaceful. It was as though he was almost being raised normally. Almost. However, a closer look would show you the small scuffs on his clothes from being rapidly packed and unpacked, put on and pulled off. His cute tufts of hair were a mess, and he had specks of dirt all over if you looked in the right places.

"This is no way to raise a child..." She held him a little bit more tightly. Anytime, they needed money or they get into a tight spot, Kratos saved them. But that was only because he was the only one who could. Her eyes wandered to the exsphere attached to her hand. It was the whole reason why the Desians even cared about her. They could've escaped and they would've barely bat an eye. Sure, they'd be pissed someone got away but she was just one of many. However, she just had to be special. She just had to be the Angelus project. They'd been looking into a way that could stop the crystal from feeding off of her and they'd discovered that there was a dwarf near a town called Iselia who might be able to aid them. However, with or without this thing sucking her life away...

She was weak.

How was she supposed to help in any regard towards keeping her family safe? Kratos couldn't do it all on his own. She couldn't allow him to bear everything on his shoulders. Lloyd adorably murmured and the vibrations of his voice calmed her heavy heart. She kissed the top of his head. She would surrender everything for him, anything to keep him safe. Anna reached into her pocket, pulling out a locket. Popping it open, her hand shook as she stared at the photo of them. Closing it, she gripped it tightly. Surprisingly, the light noise of the locket closing seemed to wake Lloyd. The two year old sleepily opened his eyes and rubbed his face more into his mother's chest. She smiled down at him a little. Was it possible that he felt her unease? He looked up at her, almost seeming worried.

She stood up, smiled and nodded to herself and to Lloyd. She pulled him away from her and raised him above her head. His eyes widened as a childish smile broke out over the toddler's face and he squealed in joy. She couldn't help but laugh. Bringing him down closer to her again, she moved closer to his tiny ears.

"I've made up my mind, Lloyd. Your father and I will protect you, for as long as we live." Lloyd wrapped his arms around her, just wanting to give his mom a hug. She looked out the window, though she wasn't quite looking outside. "Even if I don't live as a human - without the both of you, my humanity means nothing."

Anna watched Lloyd sleep peacefully, listening to his soft snores. She found herself doing this often, almost as if it had become her pastime. It was safer to stay inside to begin with, and the constant feeling of her life draining made her want to be around for her son. It had been three days since she made up her mind, and Kratos would be back soon, likely just a little into the late afternoon. Unconsciously, she gripped her left arm. What would convince him to let her give up her humanity? There would have to be no choice. She would have to make sure he understood. There was still a problem though. Being like Kratos didn't make her immune to death. She frowned.

Mithos Yggdrasill could murder her and her son in less than two seconds, human or not. They'd have to find some way to allow him to let them live. What did he have to fear though? Was it just because he wanted her special exsphere? If that was all, there must be something they could bet on. Mithos was simply a really big kid wasn't he? He had an ego. If they could prey on that, they might be able to-

"...Anna." She slowly looked up at him. A smile spread widely across her face and he sighed. He knew she was safe but seeing her sitting there put his heart more at ease than anything, except for one thing. He glanced at Lloyd, and his heart was finally calmed. She stood and pulled Kratos into a hug.

"Welcome back! Did everything go well?"

"As well as I'd hoped. We should have a decent amount of gald for a little while. We'll probably leave late tomorrow morning. Asgard will not serve as a safe haven for long. We should move on." Seeing Anna's tired face, he hugged her again, tightly. "I'm sorry about the constant moving... but-" He found a finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.

"How many times do I have to tell you? No more apologies, or someone other than our precious baby boy is getting a spanking!" She smirked as he shook his head, a faint smile pulled on his lips.

"Right. Have you had dinner yet?" He sauntered towards the kitchen-like area of their room.

"I haven't actually. I got a little lost in my thoughts watching Lloyd sleep."

"... You need to make sure you keep up your strength, Anna." She huffed at this.

"I have been! He does get tiring during the day you know? He likes to run around, and always wants to play. I'd have to eat in order to keep this up day in and day out with him. Tonight, I was just... thinking." She fiddled with her hair, while glancing towards the curtains. He looked back at her suspiciously then returned to preparing a meal for her.

"Thinking? Somehow, this worries me." She huffed again resting her hands on her waist and pouted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kratos turned to her, putting a finger to his lips. Once she noticed, he pointed to Lloyd. She looked back at him, as thoughts of her baby boy consumed her thoughts. _I have to do this. There's no way we can live like this. We won't... survive like this._ Her hands fell from her hips and hung at her sides as her shoulders slumped. Her eyes burned as her vision got misty. She heard Kratos put a plate on the table. He reached for a cup as he noticed in the corner of his eye that Anna had frozen in place. He turned towards her, still holding the cup. He became uneasy again. His stomach twisted as though the tension was wringing any life it had like a wet towel.

"...Anna?" She clenched her fists.

_He won't accept this... but I have to try._

"...Is something-?" She turned to face him, her eyes hard with determination yet filled with tears. She clenched her fists even tighter, until her chewed nails began to dig into her dry skin. Kratos watched her, his mouth open a little in surprise.

"Kratos... I know I'm demanding. I know I ask a lot of you. I know you do a lot for us- you've _done_ a lot for us... for the sake of our family. I..." Her voice dropped to a whisper but she kept her eyes locked with his. He was already forming his argument against her. She couldn't let this one go. "I want you... to find a way to turn me into a Cruxis Angel."

The sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the room. Anna found it somewhat amusing that his expression had still failed to change, but she knew she had struck a painful chord. He didn't want this for her. He would oppose her as much as he could. Lloyd wiggled in his sleep, his face contorting in discomfort.

"Anna, what-"

"You're not going to refuse me on this, Kratos." She spoke in a harsh whisper. "Please try to understand! Lloyd needs both of us! We can't run from Cruxis for ever, and this... is no way to raise a child! We're always running and you... you're the one who saves us! You are the one who earns us everything we need to survive. I just can't let you do it alone! I..." He strolled across the room, with a grim look on his face. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. She let her tears fall. "I have to do everything I can to protect you both. I can't stand feeling helpless anymore." She looked down at the floor. "I am willing to sacrifice everything, if it means that we can stay together. I would give anything." She turned back to Lloyd, who was waking up from all the noise. "I would give anything to give him a life he deserves."

Kratos hugged her from behind, silent. She lightly touched his fingertips. He watched as his son looked around the room. As soon as his eyes landed on them, he seemed to try to figure out how he could reach them. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and climbed off of the bed. He went straight to his father and put his arms up, like he was trying to fly. Anna giggled sadly and picked him up.

"Hm? You're all excited because you want to see your Daddy huh? Well, maybe in a few moments I'll pass you over." The auburn haired swordsman looked downcast and deep in thought. This was never what he wanted her or her son, but he could see the point she was making. However...

"Anna... becoming an _angel_-" he struggled to get that word out of his mouth, "That won't make fighting _him_ any-"

"I know. I've thought about that too." The air was tense and the silence was heavy. Wasn't there another way for her to help? Kratos shook his head and glared at the floor. He couldn't- "You're going to say that I can't but… I will just tell you that you _must_." He looked up at her as she handed their son over to him. Lloyd smiled happily and instinctively hugged his father around his neck. Kratos rubbed his son's back gently, still thinking. Perhaps with time she might give up her plan. He could only hope.

"I … don't know if I can even consider this. There's nothing I want more than to keep our family away from Cruxis. It would be like walking into another prison. I've told you before, Mithos is not like who he was. He's lost himself and become rather unpredictable. I don't even know for sure if being part of Cruxis would guarantee our safety." He sighed. "We can talk about this another time. But not until after we get a key crest made for you. We're still awhile away from Iselia and we have to tread carefully. Meanwhile, you will think hard about this. You know well enough that I would do anything to try to stop you but, I understand why you feel that way. I understand why you would want that. Regardless, you must understand. This is irreversible, Anna. Once you surrender what humanity you have left, you'll never get it back."

She looked away from him sadly but nodded, crossing her arms stubbornly. Then, to his surprise, a regretful smile found its way onto her face. "Fine. To be honest though, I had already felt like the ranch had drained every last bit of my humanity anyways."

* * *

While the night held its reign and the moon hung high in the sky, Kratos' eyes snapped open at the sound of a mumble. He waited patiently to hear the sound of Lloyd's soft breathing, but realized he was awake, as the boy's breathing sounded rough and rapid. He had been sleeping between his parents and cuddled closely with his mother. He rolled over to see his father. His eyes were wet, and he rubbed his face into Kratos' chest, shaking a little.

_A nightmare perhaps?_ The man wondered. Worried about disturbing Anna's sleep, he raised himself off the mattress and took Lloyd in his arms. He swung his legs over to stand, and strolled outside.

Lloyd's whimpering calmed down even once the boy felt the wind against his skin. Kratos sat on the steps just outside of the building they were staying. As it was late, no one was outside. Sounds of insects and nocturnal animals filled the air. The man waited until the boy's heart and breathing returned to normal.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Lloyd looked up at his father, then glanced away, nodding. "Do you want to talk about it?" The boy looked like he was going to cry again, but he nodded anyway.

"A monster. I sawed a monster, Daddy." The boy paused and seemed like he was trying to gather the courage to say more. Tears dripped down his face, and the man's heart clenched at the sight of his son. He hugged the boy a little tighter in an attempt to encourage him that he was safe. "I – Mommy was…" Kratos stiffened. "Mommy was a monster. Mommy almost hurt – Daddy was hurt and Noishe got hurt because of me. I was very scared and- Mommy and me fell and –" The little boy was shaking. Lloyd's dream still haunted him.

"_LLOYD! ANNA!" _The desperate cries of his father echoed through his head. The boy hid his face in Kratos' chest again as he cried, sobs causing him shake roughly. There was nothing more he could say. There was no way Lloyd could describe any more of the horrors he saw. Kratos hugged the little boy, and rubbed his head.

"Have no fear, Lloyd. Even though it's scary, it was just a dream. I'm right here. And your mom is sleeping just inside. We will protect you, with everything that we have." He felt Lloyd nod and the boy calmed down significantly. "Do you trust me, Lloyd? Can you believe in us for me?" Lloyd nodded again. They sat there for a few moments together as Kratos watched the stars in the sky. Eventually, Lloyd followed suit. The swordsman glanced at his little boy and was relieved to see him smiling as he stared at the stars in awe. Feeling eyes on him, Lloyd looked back at his father with an expression of wonder that quickly turned into a smile. Suddenly, he gave his father a kiss on the cheek and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"I love you, Daddy," the boy said endearingly. A strong warmth hit Kratos like a tsunami of pure emotion. He wrapped his arms around the little boy.

"I love you too, Lloyd. I swear to protect you." Lloyd nodded again, but sleepily. Soon enough, Kratos could hear his adorable snores again. The boy had finally returned to a peaceful sleep. Worried about waking him, he decided to remain outside watching the stars, and listening to his boy sleep.

It was all because of this little boy. All because of him, Kratos felt like he would have the strength to atone for his mistakes and right the world once and for all. If he wanted Lloyd to have a proper world to live in and look forward to, he had to.

* * *

_Next_

_Chapter 2: But our everyday fragile lives crumbled and faded away_

_"Alright. Let's make this more fun. You're right. I can't have Kratos die and while I would like having the Angelus Project returned, it is still… incomplete."_

* * *

**A/N's: And That's that. Let me know what you think, what you expect... what did you like and what did you dislike? **

**Also, it's kind of just become habit for me to put a lyric to music I used to help get me into the right mental state to write. Let me know if there are songs that you use to help you write and what they are.**

**Thanks for reading! See you in the next installment.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: ****But our everyday fragile lives crumbled and faded away**

"_I hate to do this, you leave no choice... Can't live without her" ~ Rude by Magic!_

It had been months. Anna grew more tired by the day. Some mornings, she felt like she wouldn't be able to move. However, all she needed was one glance at her son, and she'd force herself up from the ground or off a bed, if they could find somewhere to stay. He was three now. He could walk on his own and speak more basic sentences, but still being a toddler, the long walks over several days were hard on him. They shared their turns in giving piggy back rides when possible, but Kratos usually ended up carrying their packs and Lloyd, especially as they neared Iselia. Noishe helped too, often carrying Anna when she became too exhausted.

They settled down for the night, Lloyd and his mother already exhausted. Kratos put him down to sleep near Noishe as Anna tended to the campfire. Even after Kratos sat back down next to her, she couldn't sleep. She couldn't put this anxious feeling at ease.

"I still haven't changed my mind. About the angel thing." Kratos flinched. _Of all times..._ "You were hoping I'd forgotten huh?" He shook his head.

"I admit, that would've made it much easier." She giggled.

"I can't make things easy. I've complicated everything for you."

"Anna... you didn't-"

"I did. Being the Angelus Project and running away with you and –" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "Don't get me wrong. I don't regret it. While it's been hard, and tiring, I loved all that time we spent together... and all that time with Lloyd."

The swordsman chuckled, rubbing the woman's head affectionately. "My life has been complicated since before you were born. Don't let that bother you." Remembering the starting point of the conversation, he leaned back and stared into the flames. His expression darkened. "I'm still against it."

"And I won't let you say no!" She spoke in a hushed whisper, keeping mindful of the dog-like creature and her son sleeping nearby. "I know what I'm giving up. I understand that I'll never be able to take it back. But we need this. We're almost at Iselia. Once this thing is off... " She shook her head. "I won't let you say no. I've already decided."

"Have you considered the impact of this? Becoming an angel at this point, without a doubt means joining Cruxis. Do you wish for Lloyd to be brought up as a pawn for Mithos' mad schemes? Even if we can convince him to do what you want, what reason would he have to let you live? What reason would he have to let either of you live? It's just too big of a gamble." Kratos continued to stare into the flames as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Kratos. I know you're afraid." She could tell he was clenching his jaw tightly. "At this point though, isn't every decision we make a gamble? We make plans to move on to somewhere new every other week or so, hoping that Desians won't be running rampant. If we continue to run, aren't we betting on the fact that we only just might be safe?" She paused, letting Kratos take in that thought. He looked down at the ground. "I think that this is worth wagering our lives for. If we're considered part of Cruxis, we wouldn't be hunted. Lloyd can grow up safely without the constant threat of Desians! Besides, you need to look for a way for a human to wield that sword you had mentioned to me before right? Wouldn't it be easier to look into if we were in the right position? If we can somehow… if this works, we'd still be able to take down Cruxis from within." He considered this for a moment. He couldn't deny the fact that there was a significant chance of being able to do more research about the Eternal Sword from within Cruxis, rather than out.

"Even if we were to consider this an option, we need a plan. If he refuses to agree outright, what will we do? If he separates us from each other or worse, takes Lloyd away, what then?" Anna was quiet for a moment, pondering these questions.

"He still needs you. As long as that's true, it's something we can use as a bargaining chip. After this long, I'm sure he wants nothing more than to have you back within arm's reach again. All we'd have to do is put up with whatever he wants us to do until we can find a way to stop him. Besides, if he feels like he has something to use against you, he'll trust you to do your tasks more. He won't be watching nearly as closely." Kratos clenched his fist and punched the ground.

"That's the last thing I want. For him to think that he can use you against me… There must be another way." Anna shook her head.

"We're running out of options, sweetie."

"Anna… I-"

"I know you don't trust Yggdrasil, but you can trust me. I doubt he'd ever entrust any important tasks to me. I can keep an eye on Lloyd and make sure he doesn't fall onto the wrong path with the wrong influence." She reached her arms around him, giving him a hug. "We're a family. We'll take care of each other. That's something he'll never be able to take from us." She gave him her usual goofy grin. "For better or for worse! Right?" They sat like that for several minutes while the swordsman thought it over, trying to calculate every possible way they could survive. Eventually, he sighed and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"For better or for worse, huh." He rubbed her head again, smirking as she pouted. She always disliked being treated like a child. "Alright. I'll consider this as a final resort. If we truly cannot find any other way then…" Anna hugged him as tightly as she could.

They stayed up together for a few more hours. Anna hummed to herself, while Kratos kept watch and tended to the fire. After a while, Anna stood up, brushing the sand off of her clothes. She gave him a kiss on the cheek with a lopsided grin then went to prepare herself for sleep.

"For better or for worse. In sickness and in health…" The swordsman couldn't help but smile. Anna had adopted that as a saying ever she'd told him that she loved him.

"Good night, Anna."

* * *

It only took them a couple more days to reach Iselia, and many of the villagers were acquainted with the dwarf. The very next day after their arrival, they ventured out to visit Dirk. They explained their story, and he quickly agreed to help, quoting something about dwarven vows. Anna was ecstatic, despite her exhausted state. She sat in a chair, and clapped her hands together in joy while Lloyd happily played with Noishe in a corner of the dwarf's home. Kratos rested his hand on her shoulder, and they smiled at each other. Finally, they could put her exsphere problem to rest.

After about an hour or so, it was done. Dirk equipped the key crest to the exsphere, and in a tense moment, Kratos removed Anna's exsphere. She was free of it at least. Her body was exhausted, but she no longer felt like she was being drained. She was so relieved that she began to shake. Looking at Kratos, she could tell he was just happy as she was about it. She gave the dwarf a tight squeeze.

"Thank you so much! I don't know what we could ever do to repay you for this!" The dwarf laughed.

"Don'tcha worry about it, Miss. Speakin' a which, it's almost late evenin'. Why don'tcha just stay here for the night? It'd be much easier than going all the way back to the village." Anna nodded happily after confirming with Kratos.

"That is very kind of you! Thank you... truly." Gleeful tears filled her eyes.

Hours passed by. Kratos had gone out to scout the area and Anna was still sitting at the table, fiddling with the exsphere that she could know hold between her fingertips. She noticed its strange color compared to others that she'd seen. _What makes this one so different? They kept calling me the Angelus Project._ She wondered. Eventually she gave up and placed it on the table. She stood and walked over to the corner of the kitchen and kneeled down in front of Noishe. He was awake, but Lloyd was sleeping adorably against him, snoring lightly.

Rain tapped the roof of the dwarf's house slowly, until it intensified. Anna frowned. If they hadn't made it to Dirk's house today... they wouldn't have made it. She felt it in her joints and muscles. Just one more day, and that exsphere would've stolen the last bit of humanity she had left. She held out her hands in front of her, and realized she was shaking. Why did she still feel this great unease? Kratos suddenly ran into the room. He looked afraid, and pale. He looked at her, unsure of what to say at first, then glanced at Lloyd, and clenched his hands into fists. Anna straightened in concern. _Why was he so angry?_

"Anna... ", his voice was tight and strained. "_He's_ here. We can't let him see Lloyd. You'll have to-" She walked over to the door with him and kissed him lightly on the lips. They held hands. Both of them were shaking. "Anna. Please stay here." She frowned at him.

"I will come running after you if he tries to hurt you."

"Anna-" She sighed.

"We knew this would happen one way or another. See what you can do but you only have three minutes before I follow you myself! Do you hear me?"

Noticing the angel's presence draw closer, he nodded with clenched teeth, and ran outside. He was only a short distance from the dwarf's house before he warped within sight. Kratos instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sheathed weapon, and Anna watched from the window, standing over the sleeping form of Lloyd, and the watchful Noishe. The creature didn't move, but seemed tense.

Mithos gave the seraph a deathly glare.

"Kratos! Why are you still down here? Why do you refuse to return to Welgaia?" The swordsman held his place, unmoving with a rage flaring his eyes. Yggdrasil seethed and attacked. There was a flash of light, and Kratos was already nearly on his knees. He unsheathed his sword.

"Kratos…" Anna whispered as Noishe whined. She pet him lightly. "I know, boy, I want to help just as much as you."

Yggdrasill prepared another attack, looking down at the seraph with a maddening pity. "Worn down already? Just what are you so keen on protecting?" He hit Kratos with another blast and the man found himself leaning on his weapon for support. He would not grovel to a mad man. "Hm. I wonder. If I were to destroy that house over there-" The angel suddenly found the tip of a sword pointed at his throat as wine coloured eyes glared daggers at him. Yggdrasill smirked. "If I were to believe what I've heard from the Grand Cardinals, I can only assume that the Angelus Project is hiding there. Do you really think you could do it, Kratos? Would my _teacher_ have the strength to cut down his _student_?"

"Leave us be, Yggdrasill." The blond's face went from amused to serious.

"I simply cannot."

Anna took a couple of deep breaths as she tried to calm down. Noishe whined a little louder and Lloyd began to stir. In a panic, she shushed the protozoan and gently rubbed Lloyd's head until it seemed that he had fallen back into a slumber. She sighed.

"It's been more than three minutes. I'm going out there. Noishe, if this hits the fan, take Lloyd and hide somewhere. Okay?" She pet him affectionately for what may be her last time. "Thank you for taking care of us these past years." Noishe whined sadly as Anna turned away and walked out the door.

Yggdrasill and Kratos both turned to the sound of a door opening and closing. The swordsman's heart dropped when he realized that Anna was walking towards them. He could see her shaking and had to resist running to her side to get her back in the house.

"Anna! Turn back!" he called out to her. However, she shook her head. Yggdrasill watched them both, bemused. She stopped just a few steps behind Kratos and bowed in respect. The angel lord simply stared her down, looking for the crystal that was supposed to be equipped. Unable to find it, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Where is the Angelus Project?"

* * *

A glowing light gently shove over the window where Lloyd was sleeping against Noishe. Noishe was shivering and whining at something. The boy woke, and sleepily rubbed his eyes. He pushed himself up to stand and stretched, a cute little yawn leaving his mouth. He looked around the room, and felt sad that he couldn't see his parents anywhere.

"Mommy?" He called out gently to the empty kitchen. He looked down at his shoes and wanted to cry. Where were they? Where could his parents be? Suddenly, he realized there were noises coming from outside. As he looked up, he noticed the glowing light coming into the kitchen. He ran to the door. Noishe barked at him quietly, running up to the door in order to block the boy from reaching the handle. However, the boy was insistent. He pushed and shoved his way underneath the creature until the door handle was once again in sight. He still a little short so he had to jump in order to reach and twist the handle. It took him about three tries before he could get it. Once the door opened outwards, he was very pleased with his success and ran out the door while Noishe barked and whined at him nervously. The toddler giggled as he could see the backs of his parents and the strange light he saw illuminated their faces.

"Daddy! Mommy!" he called out to them. When they turned back to him in shock, he couldn't understand why they seemed so angry at him.

* * *

Anna gasped as Lloyd stopped right in his tracks when they turned to look at him. Tears filled her eyes. Kratos turned to look back at Yggdrasill whose face was twisted in disgust.

"You… You had a _child_ with the Angelus Project?" The swordsman protectively stepped in front of his family. There was no way diplomatic way out of this now, and he refused to let Lloyd get hurt.

"Anna, bring him back inside." She stood staring at her little boy as the tears fell from her face in streams now. She held a hand over her mouth, still unable to move. _There's only one way… only one thing. _"ANNA!" Yggdrasill pointed his palm at her and Lloyd. Kratos stepped forward slightly.

"Make one move, woman, and the boy will be the first to die." _The boy… No… Lloyd, No!_ She turned back around to face the irate angel. _Anything…!_

"Lord Yggdrasill!" Her voice wavered and he glared at her, but said nothing. Kratos watched the angel carefully. Lloyd quietly walked up to his mother and held onto her leg. The warm feeling of her son's touch gave her strength. "I know you need Kratos… he's mentioned that you wouldn't kill him. However," She bent down to pick her son. "We _inferior beings_, you could make us disappear with a snap of your fingers."

"Your point?" Mithos stared at the child that now hung onto the woman. Kratos still hadn't moved but constantly glanced back and forth between his wife and the blond. He already knew where she was going with this, but for her to gamble on their lives- not only theirs but Lloyd's as well. _Why couldn't anything be simple and easy?_ Internally, he scoffed at that thought. He knew better than most that if something was too easy, then something was _wrong._

"What about us bothers you so much? Is this just about the Angelus Project? If so, I'll surrender it, if you let us live in peace. If it's because I know too much, then I'll surrender my memory." Her shaking had stopped now. She knew this was the only path they could take. Mithos raised his eyebrows.

"You would give up your _memory_? Memories are precious things… It's almost as if you're willing to make a _wager_." Kratos tensed as the angel smiled. Anna frowned nervously, acting coy. _I can't let him see that this is exactly what we want. I have to play this to his hand. _

"A wager? What kind of wager?" She asked as innocently as she could. The angel crossed his arms.

"Hmm, what kind indeed. It's not any fun if it's too short or too simple. The stakes would certainly be high…" He was taunting them. That much, Anna could tell. She continued to play along.

"What do you suggest?"

"Ah, so you're interested then? I wonder what dear old Kratos has to say about that." The swordsman straightened a little bit but refused to sheath his weapon. Mithos chuckled. "I could just request the Angelus Project in exchange for your lives but-" He smiled creepily. "That would be far too easy." Anna flinched as the claws of fear tightened around Kratos' heart.

"Alright. Let's make this more fun. You were right. I can't have Kratos die and while I would like having the Angelus Project returned, it is still… incomplete." He paused for a moment, tapping his chin as his wings hovered back and forth. Lloyd looked up at them in awe. Suddenly, Mithos snapped his fingers.

"How about this? I'll allow the woman and the child to live. You'll keep your memories." He paused again and smirked. "I'll also let you keep the Angelus Project." Kratos was shaking. There was no way he would be so favorable without good reason. The main purpose of even chasing Kratos down to begin with had something to do with that exsphere. Anna stood, determined with her son, who was getting a little too comfortable looking at Mithos' wings. Her grip on him tightened a little as he started trying to reach out touch them. "In exchange, the three of you will return with me to Cruxis."

"What?!" Kratos was enraged. The very organization that Kratos spent keeping his family away from all of this time… he'd have to bring them there? "We ref-"

"Kratos… let's hear what he has to say," Anna told her husband. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. He almost couldn't believe that she was considering this. He probably wouldn't if they hadn't discussed it just a few days ago.

"While I will allow you the space and time to raise your child, you will both work for me. Once that child is old enough, an age at which _I_ shall decide, he will do the same. Of course, I'll allow him to work with the both of you. That sounds quite fair. Almost too generous." He watched them as they mulled this over. Kratos only wanted to refuse, but to his own disgust, he also considered it. If it meant keeping them alive, if it meant they didn't have to run anymore – they wouldn't have to be _afraid_ anymore. However, there was still one thing that nagged at this mind. _Why would he let us keep the exsphere?_

"Is that all?" The swordsman asked, wary of his intentions. Mithos coyly closed this eyes and pondered for a moment.

"Ah yes. I suppose the only way the woman would be able to keep up with what we do would be to transform her into a Cruxis Angel. Of course, this is merely for her _safety._ I understand the process can't be reversed but, neither can death. As a precaution, she will be unable to leave Welgaia unless directed to by me." Before Kratos could respond, Anna nodded.

"I would accept turning into an angel." Kratos looked at her, almost pleadingly. This was killing him, she knew, but it was the only way at this point. This was the only path offered to them. They had agreed that this is the path they would take as a last resort. "I would give up_ anything_ to keep us safe." Mithos nodded.

"Very well. I suppose you'll have no issues with this last part then." Anna's heart dropped. _What? There's more?_ Kratos grinded his teeth. _No… no no no._ "That boy. I suppose he's a little young for now, as the brat can hardly speak. However, within five years, he will take over as the host for the Angelus Project." Anna gasped. This isn't what she wanted. There was no she could allow her son to go through what she did.

"NO! I can't…. I can't allow him to-" The angel frowned.

"Silence. If you refuse this, then the child dies and I will take back the Angelus Project and find a new host. If you're worried about it that much, it can be contained within a key crest. The boy won't get sick from it, and the exsphere will still progress, though slower." Anna's tears returned again, and Kratos seemed limp. Mithos smiled. _Perfect. They already look as though they'll surrender. Kratos will be back in Welgaia at last. For the moment, that's all I care about._ "As for the wager part of this agreement…" They looked up at him, one helplessly, the other in rage. "The Chosen of Regeneration will begin their quest within the coming decades. You two will ensure that they make it to the Tower of Salvation alive. If they do, then you're free to do as you wish. I won't force you to work for Cruxis any longer and you can live out your lives as you want." _Perhaps, if the Chosen is to Martel's liking._ However, he felt that he didn't need to add that thought.

"And if we fail?" Kratos asked through clenched teeth.

"Then, you remain mine. I shall take back the Angelus Project regardless of whether you succeed or fail. The only difference is, you both will continue to work for me, and he-" he pointed to Lloyd, who seemed to be completely unaware of what was happening, "will die. So, in the end, if you want him to live, there isn't much of a choice." Anna seemed to falter. Lloyd eyed his mother with concern. "I can see that you both have differing opinions on this. I suppose I can be just a little bit more generous…" His face grew serious. "You have tonight to decide. I will return at dawn. If you run, I _will _find you." He vanished as quickly as he had come.

Shaking, Anna slowly put Lloyd down. The child looked as though he was about to say something, when instead of standing back up, his mother fell to the ground in exhaustion.

"Anna!" Kratos was at her side in seconds. He helped her sit up and she put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"I'm fine… just tired. If you don't mind… could we sit out here and talk? I'll put Lloyd in bed and-" Kratos sighed and held her down.

"No, I'll do it. Rest here. Come on, Lloyden." He picked up his teary eyed son and carried him back into Dirk's house. Noishe came to them, whining. Kratos pet him on the head. "It'll be alright… I hope. Lloyd, you need to sleep." He put the boy down. The child looked down at the floor and kicked at the floor gently. "Lloyd?"

"Daddy… do you and mommy have to go away somewhere?" The question tore at the swordsman's heart. He struggled to acknowledge what he'd have to accept. He dropped to his knees suddenly, and pulled his son into a hug. They stayed there like that for what seemed like minutes. Kratos felt a tear slowly make its way down his face. He would never let Lloyd see him like this. His son had to know that he had nothing to fear or worry about. However, the words wouldn't come. All he could do was try to show his little boy how much he loved him and just how much he wished things could've gone a different way. "Daddy?" Kratos pulled back and forced a smile, rubbing Lloyd's head. He took a deep breath.

"Lloyden. Everything will be fine. Your mother and I will be with you. Always. We're not going anywhere." Lloyd seemed to be happy with this, but he still looked confused.

"Who was that girl with the wings, Daddy? She had wings just like yours!" The swordsman couldn't help but smirk at this. Seeing his father relax a little, Lloyd giggled unaware of the mistake he made. However, he couldn't bring himself to reply to that question. The thought of Mithos made his vision blur out of anger. Instead, he gave Lloyd a pat on the head.

"Son, we need to get up early tomorrow. Please try to get some sleep. If you promise me you will, we'll… do something fun tomorrow. Alright?" Lloyd cheered and jumped up and down excitedly. He nodded and went back to Noishe, who laid down for him. Kratos sighed. Dirk had offered Lloyd an actual bed to sleep on, but he was already used to sleeping by Noishe's side. As he went out the door again, he noticed Lloyd close his eyes. As the door made a resounding _click_, he'd made up his mind. He too would protect Lloyd, no matter what the cost.

* * *

_Next:_

_Chapter 3: We finally realized the true meaning behind happiness that we grew tired of and even took lightly_

_"So, Mr. Aurion, sir? What do you think? Do I not look ready to lead the troops?"_

* * *

**A/N's: Next chapter will be just a bit lighter. Thanks for reading! As usual, R&amp;R!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: We finally realized the true meaning behind happiness that we grew tired of and even took lightly

"_I've stopped breathing in the face of all these endings without end…" Enigmatic Feeling by Ling Toiste Sigure. _

The sound of his footsteps echoed within the Tower of Salvation. Having just returned from one of Mithos' tasks, he sauntered towards the warp portal at the top of the platform. At least, the thoughts of his own self-loathing distracted him from the creepily floating caskets. Having been out of Welgaia for the first time in about a month, he managed to check out Sybak and do a little bit of research on the Eternal Sword, but nothing really gave him any tips. He sighed. Even now that his family was away from Desians, he still felt nervous being away from them for any extended period of time, especially when Yggdrasill was so close.

They didn't have to run anymore but they weren't completely safe either. While Anna underwent the process of becoming a Cruxis Angel, Kratos had to keep an eye on Lloyd. Luckily, Mithos didn't demand him to be away very much or for very long. He figured the angel lord was just pleased to have him within a reachable distance now, as opposed to when they were on the run. Yuan was shocked, and possibly a little bit angry, that Kratos had even went along with the whole agreement, but offered his assistance in watching Lloyd when Kratos had to be gone. The swordsman punched a nearby pillar before teleporting back to Welgaia.

It was frustrating. He hated himself for being helpless in getting his family away from Cruxis. In the end, he realized, all he ever did was run away. In ancient times, he was unable to stop the war from happening, he couldn't save Martel, he couldn't stop Mithos, he couldn't help Yuan, and he was already proving that he was helpless in aiding his own family. What was even the point of his endless existence?

He heard crying in the distance. It was coming from… their house? He walked a bit faster, worry replacing his self-hatred with every step. As he approached the entrance to the current Aurion home, the crying grew louder and more frantic. He opened the door and walked in through the entrance to see a flustered Yuan trying to calm a little panicking Lloyd who was having a minor tantrum. Yuan was relieved once he noticed Kratos enter the room.

"Thank goodness! He's been like this for over thirty minutes and nothing's calmed him and he was so loud I couldn't even hear when you got back!" Kratos smirked at him and went to pick Lloyd up. The boy's crying tuned down to moans and sniffles. Yuan shook his head. "Well. If you had any doubts about it, I can guarantee you that he at least likes you." The auburn haired man raised his eyebrows at his friend who merely smirked back in amusement. Shortly after, he wore a serious expression. "How's uh… you know who?" Kratos sighed.

"She's… alright. She's having a little difficulty adjusting but, it seems like she'll be able to stay with us again in a few days." Lloyd tilted his head at this.

"Mommy be back in few days?" Kratos couldn't help but smile warmly at his boy's response. He ran his fingers through the boy's hair. Yuan stood up to leave.

"I'll leave you to comforting your son, Kratos. Good luck." He gave a small wave before leaving. Kratos gave the half-elf a nod then returned his focus to his son.

"Yeah. Mom will be back soon. Is that why you were crying?" The child looked down sheepishly and nodded.

"Daddy wasn't here… Not seen Mommy in long time and… Daddy looks sad sometimes. I feel sad sometimes. Today, I felt sad, because… I think Daddy misses Mommy too." Kratos stared at his son as a revelation washed over him. _Lloyd…, _he thought as pride warmed his heart. Lloyd looked up again, but this time he seemed to be really determined about something. He reached over his father's head and pat his hair as gently as he could. "We will be okay, Daddy." Almost as if he was embarrassed by what he'd done, he quickly put his hands down and looked away. Kratos teared up so quickly that he pulled Lloyd in for a hug to avoid the boy seeing him cry.

"I know, Lloyden. We'll be fine. I love you…" his voice was barely a whisper. He wasn't even sure if the little boy heard him speak.

_This_ was why he had to be here. He had to be here for Lloyd. He had to be here for Anna and he had to be here to follow through with his atonement. He would find a way to make up for what he'd done before and he had to guarantee his family's happiness. Anna was doing her part. It was only fair he did his. He wiped away the tears and faced his son again with a warm smile.

"Do you want to watch the stars again tonight?" Lloyd nodded happily.

"Yes, yes!"

* * *

Several days later, Anna was stretching and feeling her body out in the recuperation lab as Kratos walked in. She smiled vivaciously at him and even did a little twirl to show off her new Cruxis outfit. It was similar to his own, but with a few less belts and with more color. It was a mix of green and blue. She held a pose and winked at him.

"So, Mr. Aurion, sir? What do you think? Do I not look ready to lead the troops?" Kratos sighed and shook his head in amusement.

"I am unsure of what troops you speak of, Mrs. Aurion," he answered her, playing along with her little game. She giggled and gave him a kiss on his nose.

"Come on! You still haven't told me how I look yet!" Kratos rubbed her head like he always did when he felt she was being silly.

"You look great. How are your senses?" She tilted her head, testing out each side.

"Still a little bit sensitive, but not too bad." _It was worse while I was going through the transformation,_ she thought to herself. However, she wouldn't dare let Kratos hear the words leave her mouth. He was taking the return to Cruxis worse than she'd thought.

It was always his eyes. His eyes betrayed his thoughts quite easily. At least, they did when he was around her. Lately, all she could see was worry, sadness and anger. Guilt clawed its way through her soul, as it had been the past couple of weeks. She was the one who instigated the deal with Mithos. Noticing the sad look in her eyes, Kratos gazed at her.

"Something wrong?" She looked away, clenching her hands into fists.

"I-I've messed this up, haven't I?" It was a strange feeling. Grief overtook her in that moment, feeling as though she had failed herself and her family, yet she couldn't cry. She ground her teeth together in frustration, but the tears did not come. Kratos hugged her tightly. She half-heartedly attempted to push herself away, but he held her against him.

"I can't say if we've made the right choice or not. But, while I hate to admit it, there were not many choices to choose from at the time. All we can do is continue to live for the sake of our family… for Lloyd." She relaxed a bit and sighed. _If there had been any other choice, what would it have been?_ She dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come to her. Instead, she decided that the only thing she could was focus on the positives. _We're not running for our lives anymore. That's a good thing._

"You're right, Kratos. We'll just have to make do as best as we can." She stepped back from him and pinched his nose teasingly with grin. "For better or for worse, right? Now, where's my little boy? I haven't seen the little munchkin in over a month!" The swordsman chuckled, taking her arm in his and leading her towards their home.

* * *

Yuan eyed the sleeping boy suspiciously. He had been reading, but ever since Lloyd had suddenly fallen over in the middle of drawing, the book had been pushed to the side mentally as the half-elf ran through all the possible reasons for this occurrence. Still being a toddler, he was susceptible to illness but he'd already been in Welgaia for over a month. The other possibility was that the child just wasn't handling the sudden increase in mana very well. Compared to on Sylvarant, where the mana levels were consistently low at this time, and considering humans tended to have low mana levels themselves to begin with, Welgaia was overflowing with mana. It was possible that simply being near himself, Kratos and Yggdrasill for an extended period of time was possible to cause a sudden rise, farless being surrounded by the Cruxis angels that inhabited the place. _But mana induced illnesses were considered to be extremely rare. If that was the case…_ He was pulled out of his thoughts as the door opened. Anna ran to the bed where Lloyd slept.

"Wow, Yuan! I'm surprised. Kratos had told me that he'd been having trouble sleeping since we got here. How'd you get him to take a nap?" Still watching her child, she missed the look that Yuan gave Kratos, who raised his eyebrows at his friend.

"To be fair, I didn't really do anything." Yuan closed his book quietly and stood to leave. Eyeing Kratos, he pointed to the door. The swordsman nodded.

"Anna, I'll just see Yuan off. I'll be back in a few minutes." The woman didn't look away from her son but waved at the half-elf.

"Thank you for watching him!"

"Not a problem… Good luck." With that, the two of them stepped out, and wandered into one of the nearby rooms. Yuan tapped his fingers on the edges of his book.

"Kratos. Are you sure you and Anna know what you're doing?" Kratos crossed his arms.

"What makes you ask that?" Yuan ignored the question.

"I don't know if you've noticed anything different about Lloyd. In case you haven't, I'd suggest being careful around areas that have significantly higher mana levels, though you might find that a little bit difficult here." Kratos looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Hm. Since we got here, he hasn't been as active. However, I believed that it was simply because of the sudden change in his environment. We aren't travelling or living outside anymore."

"You might be half right at least. He was drawing like he normally was until I realized he had stopped. When I checked on him, he appeared to be sleeping." The half-elf shrugged. "It could easily be something he'll grow out of or it'll improve now that Anna's back. However, if it is what I believe it might be, you might want to take precautions."

"And what do you believe it might be?" Kratos asked cautiously, worry nipping at his thoughts. Yuan took his time responding, considering if he should even mention it.

"Remember, that we've been angels for quite a long while. We had long believed that having children was simply impossible. Clearly, it's not." He turned away. "There's something I want to look into first. We should wait to see if the symptoms get any worse. The chances are still incredibly low and thus, it may not even be worth worrying about. That's all I'll say about it for now."

* * *

Over the course of the next few months, the family remained in Welgaia. Kratos occasionally left for a few hours to fetch supplies for Lloyd, but other than that, the three of them spent their time together. Once every month since the first case, it seemed that their son would catch something. Whatever it was, they never knew, but it always resulted in strong but quick fading fever, sweats and intense fatigue. During these episodes, Lloyd simply slept, rarely waking until the symptoms faded. They never seemed to last longer than 48 hours, but they were 48 hours of hell. Both he and Anna would wait and watch, providing comfort whenever they could to the poor child. They wouldn't sleep, or rest, not that they really needed to. The parents were constantly on their toes or on the edge of their seats with a look of dread and worry on their faces.

However, once those hours passed, Lloyd would awaken seeming as though the illness had never happened. Color would return to his childish cheeks and he'd be full of energy again, waiting on stories, games and other activities he enjoyed with his parents. It didn't take long for them to fall into their own routine, where Anna and Lloyd remained in Welgaia – remained isolated from the world they knew.

Some days Anna felt like she was stuck in a closed space. She was able to wander about Welgaia on occasion, but she never dared travel far in the event she accidentally ran into Yggdrasil, worried that he'd suddenly change his mind and decide she and her son were better off dead after all. Other days, she just simply felt bored. She wanted to see the stars, take a breath of fresh air, roll around in a bed of flowers, and enjoy the world she loved so much. She wanted Lloyd to experience it again too. Not to mention that she missed Noishe, who had just simply refused to follow them up to Welgaia.

One day, her boredom found a voice.

"Doesn't it seem kind of … I don't know. It feels like life is at a standstill. Almost stagnant." She sighed and shook her head, staring at the dishes she was just washing. "It just feels like we haven't made any progress at all. Although, I know it's only been a few months…"

Kratos watched her thoughtfully from his seat in their kitchen as she stood over the sink. At first, her feeling of boredom bothered him. They currently had everything they had wished for: a life without constant running, somewhere to live in peace and quiet, and _nearly _guaranteed safety for their son. As long as they maintained their side of the bargain, Yggdrasill would maintain his distance, resulting in no harm coming to either his wife or son. However, he also understood why she would feel that way. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to the see the world she grew up in for a long while. While Yggdrasill had seemed to imply that he'd have tasks for her at some point, thus far, she hadn't received any.

"Daddy!" Lloyd ran up to him, happily waving a small book in his hand. The boy placed it on his father's lap and gave him a pleading look. "Pwease, help read?" The swordsman couldn't help but smile down at his son, ruffling the boy's hair in adoration. He placed the book on the table, and lifted his son onto his lap. Holding the boy with one arm, and opening the book with the other, Lloyd leaned in so that he could see the words.

"Alright, Lloyd. I'll point to the words one by one and read them out loud, as usual. Then, you'll have to repeat the words I say before I read the next one. Does that sound fair?" Lloyd nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes!" he cheered, clapping his little hands. Anna turned to watch them, smiling at her two boys. She finished off the dishes and cleaned up while Kratos continued to help Lloyd with reading.

It was moments like these that made her enjoy their current way of life. The boredom melted away simply at the sound of Lloyd's cheerful giggling, and Kratos' warm smile in response. Though he had been reluctant at first, and had told her that he wasn't sure if he could be a good parent, he was the image of fatherhood. He had provided things in ways that she never thought they'd be able to experience. When he watched their son, she could tell that it filled him with a peace he hadn't felt in a long time. He loved that boy like nothing else he had ever known.

Once they were done their reading session, Lloyd ran off to fetch something else. Kratos closed the book and left it on the table. Anna eyed it for a moment as a thought occurred to her.

"Kratos," she spoke quietly as her thoughts began to piece together the possibilities. "Does Welgaia have a library? If so, do you think I'd be able to enter it?" Kratos thought for a moment.

There were several places and rooms that remained guarded by lifeless angels who had been given orders to refuse entry to anyone who wasn't of Seraphim or Cardinal status. While Anna technically remained at a status above that of Cardinals, she would still be denied entry on her own. Be that as it may, he didn't recall the library being protected.

"There is one. I believe you might be able to, but it's probably best if we go together to check." Anna was ecstatic.

"Great! Can we check it out now? We can bring Lloyd with us! I'm sure a short walk just outside this place would be nice for him." As Kratos nodded, Anna ran off to fetch their son. Once she was comfortable carrying him, they headed out of their home and walked together towards the library.

As Kratos had suspected, while the doors were closed, the place was unguarded. Anna would be free to come and go to this place as much as she liked, for the time being. Upon entering, there were several shelves filled with ancient books. Many of them were old books that depicted the true history of the once combined world, Aselia. They spoke of the Kharlan War and many other things that related to the races. There were also research manuals on exspheres and angelic beings. Handing a tired looking Lloyd off to Kratos, Anna wandered about the place with a look of wonder. It had been a long time since she had dug into a book, and she was quite eager to return to that habit. She paused, noticing a wooden table in the middle of the room, surrounded by shelves. Her curiosity ate at her wonder as she noticed an open book lying on it. Kratos tapped her on the shoulder, his eyes filled with worry.

"I think Lloyd's having another episode. He suddenly fell asleep and his head is warm. I'm going to bring him home and keep an eye on him. Will you be alright getting back?" Anna nodded.

"I should be alright. I just want to look around for a few minutes." With that, Kratos left Anna to her devices. Her first thought went immediately to the open book on the table. Without changing the page, she sat down and began to read. Sadly, most of it made little sense to her. She sighed, pushing it away.

"'_Mana sickness_', '_Invasion of the elves_'… I can't understand this at all. But, maybe some other books in this place could help me understand…" She got up from the table and began searching through other books that littered the shelves. Unbeknownst to her, a blue haired half-elf watched her from across the room before quietly making his exit.

* * *

_Next:_

_Chapter 4: It's not like we weren't fulfilled, we were just trying to regain it once more_

_"In other words, we need to find a way to rebalance his mana. Otherwise, it seems that these episodes will only continue to worsen."_

* * *

**A/N's: I just love little Lloyd. In case you're wondering about when the title of the fic will actually be relevant to the story... It should be clearer in the coming chapters! Thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it! Please review. I'll be back with another chapter shortly.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N's: Thank you to Keko-The-Hybrid, MagatsuIza, lolitathegoddessorca860 for reviewing the previous chapters! Just knowing that you liked it really helps!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TOS. Though I'm sure we all wish we all did...**

* * *

Chapter 4: It's not like we weren't fulfilled, we were just trying to regain it once more

"_Now my heartbeat is sinking, hope's shrinking" ~ Summer Paradise by Simple Plan_

Her research was fueled by her desire to save her son. He had just turned four a few months ago, but it was no celebration. His episodes of fever and fatigue came more often, more suddenly and for longer. On the day of his birthday, he had already been sick for three days. As usual, by the time he started feeling better, he seemed to be fine. Sadly, within the next three weeks, he was ill again. It was taking a huge toll on his health, as he was difficult to wake during these episodes. Even now, as she scoured the library for answers as she had in the past several months, the boy was at home recovering from this month's second episode.

In the past months she had learned quite a bit about the origins of mana and the elves. The elves had come to the once combined world from a passing comet, Derris-Kharlan. They brought with them the Great Kharlan Tree which breathed mana into the world, giving birth to the summon spirits, and the protozoans according to some texts. The elves, wanting to live their lives on Aselia in peace, kept to small groups that lived in villages among forests near the Great Tree. Humans seeking knowledge and interest in the elves ventured to these towns and several were welcomed and married. Thus, half-elves were soon born.

As time continued, people began to realize that those with elven blood could control mana in the form of magic. It all started with research on how to use magic to make their lives better, but one thing led to another, and shortly afterwards magitechnology came into existence. Scholars and the elves living closest to the tree quickly realized that this new technology ate up mana faster than the tree could produce, which led to another discovery. As helpful as mana was to the world, the world itself had become dependent on it, and thus, would no longer survive without it. If all mana faded from the world, it would be destroyed.

The elves, having lived surrounded by mana for as long as they could remember, were unaware of mana's parasitic attributes. It was very helpful in supporting the growth of foliage and wildlife, but occasionally, people would fall seriously ill due to unknown causes. These rare cases, in some texts, believed the cause to be overexposure to high levels of mana. As the land had taken to the new source of energy, so had the bodies of people. When a person's mana levels got too high for their body to handle, they often grew ill with symptoms that sounded very much like Lloyd's.

However, she hadn't found all of the information she knew on her own. Occasionally, Yuan stepped in to give her hints, and point out certain books that he thought might hold key information.

Now, she was shoulder deep in books about controlling mana levels, and research on Cruxis Angels. According to research reports, some of those who had turned angel via Cruxis Crystal had been tested for reproduction capabilities. Through many attempts it had been determined that they could not produce viable life. The offspring usually did not live past a few months, far less a year. Some reasoned that it may be due to the fact that the angelic parent was usually an already unstable lifeform, as the process was still under research, and most certainly incomplete. They did get sick very easily, and often died from the inability to fully recover from their illnesses. One paper brought up the theory that their short life span of the offspring was due to high imbalance in their body. While the angels were not necessarily their own race, they did have different organic qualities that were inheritable. Thus, with the existence of these qualities with the lack of a Cruxis Crystal, the offspring tended to have issues adjusting on their own. Apparently, in theory, the child's life could be extended using certain healing spells until the child could balance out their own mana.

The problem was that Anna herself was no mage. She couldn't cast healing spells. She eyed the books next to her and sighed. She did manage to gather several books on how those of non-elven blood could learn magic, but so many of them were filled with technical words and elven jargon. She found them impossible to get through, far less even begin to understand the contents. Kratos had once mentioned that the only way he could use magic was by ingesting a special rock. However, she couldn't remember the name of it.

"I'm pretty sure it started with A," she muttered to herself quietly. She sighed and closed the book in front of her. She looked up and jumped as her eyes locked with Yuan's. "When the bloody hell did you get here?" He ignored her outburst.

"You really have been researching all you can, haven't you? What started with 'A'?" She eyed him cautiously, but figured he wouldn't cause her any trouble. He'd been nothing but helpful since they came to Welgaia.

"Kratos told me he ate a rock in order to use-"

"Aionis. Humans can cast magic and use magic weapons if they ingest aionis. While the process is quick, it can be rather painful depending on the human." He turned away from her, closing his eyes. "I wouldn't recommend it." With that, he walked away as she gave him a face of distaste. Why tell her exactly what she wanted to know, tell her not to do it, then walk away? She shook her head. _There's no point in me trying to understand _that _one._

Instead, she found her thoughts wandering towards her deal with Yggdrasill. He had never said that Lloyd couldn't leave Welgaia, hence why Kratos was able to take him outside every once in a while. She wondered if perhaps it would simply be better for him if he lived on Sylvarant instead. _But where would he stay? Would he be okay without us?_ In an attempt to clear her mind, she shook her head and stood up to leave, deciding to return home to check on Lloyd.

Her mind swarmed with ideas about getting through loopholes in Yggdrasill's agreement. If he ever planned on giving her tasks to do, she'd be able to go outside as well. What worried her was what tasks he had planned for, if any. Her worry over that quickly changed to worry about her son. What if returning to Sylvarant didn't help? Would healing spells help? Kratos knew some healing spells, didn't he? She paused for a moment, stopping before an angel guarding a metal door.

"Uh, excuse me? What are you guarding?" The lifeless angel regarded her for a moment. Recognizing her, the angel bowed slightly.

"Lady Aurion. Mana fragments, experimental exspheres and other materials are stored in this room. Such materials are only to be distributed upon special request." Anna smiled sweetly.

"Special request huh? Would there happen to be aionis here? I've searching for it at the request of Lord Aurion," her tongue nearly tripped on her words. It felt incredibly strange to call Kratos that. "I'm just worried he would be upset if I take any longer." The angel nodded immediately.

"As you wish. One moment." The angel entered in code as the door opened. He was only gone for a moment before he returned with a small rock and handed it over to her. She nodded her thanks before resuming her walk back home, excitement bubbling up within her, Yuan's warnings forgotten.

She entered the home and checked on Lloyd, who still sleeping through his fever. It had been a few days, but she didn't think he'd wake anytime soon. Sitting in a chair near the boy's bed, she rolled the bronze colored stone in her hand. She considered waiting for Kratos to get back before taking it but, what would he say? She looked back at Lloyd then back at the rock. As she decided that she wasn't going to change her mind regardless, she tossed it into her mouth and swallowed.

She immediately regretted it.

Her hands grasped her closing throat. She tried to cough it back out, but her body had completely lost control. Her stomach felt like it was twisting and flipping upside down. Her vision went blurry. She tried to stand but fell to her knees. Gasping for breath, her last sight was Lloyd's sleeping form before all she saw was darkness.

* * *

Lloyd drearily blinked his eyes open. His head still felt warm, but he felt better than the last time he had been awake. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. His throat was parched and his stomach growled. He looked around the room. Usually one of his parents was already standing over the bed when he awoke from these hot fevers. Finally, his eyes settled on his mother's unmoving form on the floor. They opened wide in fear as his thirst and hunger were forgotten. His world spun and his heart stopped. He stared at her for a few moments until he got over the initial shock.

"Mom!" He rolled off of the bed and ran to her side. "Mom! Mommy, wake up!" She didn't respond. He could tell she was still breathing but it was like she in some kind of pain. Something was very wrong with his mother. "Mommy, please!" Hot tears filled his eyes and dripped onto the floor. He stood up and looked around. "Daddy! Something's wrong with Mommy! Daddy!" He ran all over the house, feeling hot and tired again, but was too afraid for his mother to rest. He had to find help.

He approached the door to their home. He'd never gone out by himself. His father or mother always walked with him when they went somewhere. Feeling a little bit dizzy, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, and pulled the door open. As he stepped outside, he found himself in a small hallway. He had no idea where to find his dad or his uncle. However, he did have a strange gut feeling. There was something that filled the air, but it was thicker in some places. He felt a strong gathering of it nearby. He decided to follow that, and ran down the hall, passing several rooms. He soon found himself in front of a big door. There was a sign higher up, but it was too high to read. Instead, he took his chances. He knocked on it twice with the remainder of fading strength.

But, he was too tired now. His head felt heavy, and his world was spinning. He found himself looking at a blue blob as the door opened and he fell backwards.

* * *

Anna's head was throbbing. She opened her eyes slowly, the lights making her headache grow. As her senses returned, she realized was lying in a bed and Lloyd was sleeping against her chest. She gasped slightly but avoided moving. Looking around, her eyes met with pained and angry wine colored ones. _Oh, god, what did I do? I don't even…_ Suddenly, the memories came flooding back to when to she ingested the aionis. _Crap._ What happened? She blacked out. Had Kratos just come home to find her on the floor? She checked Lloyd's temperature. His fever was gone? Had he woken up?

"Anna. What were you thinking?" She looked at him in confusion. _Does he know…?_ She found herself unsure of what to respond, like a child caught trying to stick a fork into a toaster.

"Uhm-"

"You somehow retrieve aionis from one of the guards and your first idea is to just try to consume it without knowing what it might do to you? In front of Lloyd, no less." She looked at him, shock and shame written all over her face. She brought a hand to her head trying to avoid disturbing Lloyd.

"I don't know, I just thought that perhaps if I could learn some healing skills, it would be easier to help Lloyd. Ugh, how did you know? Did you come home after I blacked out?" Kratos shook his and sighed, covering part of his face with his hand. He looked like he had just got over a scare.

"No. I wouldn't have known if Yuan hadn't contacted me about it." Anna eyes widened.

"Yuan? How did he know?"

"Lloyd ran out to find him." She pushed herself up and shook her head. _That's impossible…_

"How? Lloyd doesn't know his way around Welgaia!" Kratos looked away.

"That's something we're concerned about actually. Yuan said that Lloyd managed to find his room and knocked on his door before he fell unconscious. We were worried that he may have run into Yggdrasill, yet when he woke up yesterday he said that he didn't."

"When he woke up _yesterday_? How long have I been sleeping?" She rubbed her head again.

"Three days." The swordsman sighed as she stared at him in surprise. "Let's just say we're lucky that your body took it rather well. Usually, humans turning angel ingest aionis before changing. The change in your body structure tends to react badly to the changes that aionis causes."

Anna looked down at her hands, wiggling them around. "So, what you're saying is that I should be able to use magic now."

"In a way. You'll have to practice. If you feel up to it, I can show you the basics while Lloyd's still napping. Don't think this means you're off the hook. You still have some explaining to do." Despite the man's warning, she grinned, excited to be learning something she hoped would be useful.

"Okay!"

Anna carefully weaved herself away from Lloyd's adorable sleeping form and finally off the bed. Her head was still hurting and she swayed a little once she was finally standing, but overall she felt alright. Her skin tingled with an odd sensation. Ignoring it, she followed Kratos into their living room.

"Let's just focus on gathering mana that you would use for a spell. Hopefully, you won't end up casting anything by accident. Try this…" the swordsman went on to demonstrate step by step the work required for casting, explaining little bits of theory about elemental magic in between. After half an hour, Anna was a little tired, but had understood what was going on for the most part. They decided to stop the practice there for now.

"Lloyd, should've woken up by now. I'm going to go check on him." Anna jogged into the next room. Rushing to the bed, she kneeled by the edge of it and rested a hand on his forehead. He was heating up again, and his face was scrunched up in pain. _Could it be because we were using magic nearby?_ He seemed worse than he'd ever had before. She began to panic. "Kratos… Kratos! Lloyd's really sick. I think our practice may have agitated his condition!" Kratos ran to the door.

"We should bring him to Yuan. He should be able to help us. Let's go." Anna scooped up her son and the two of them ran in the direction of Yuan's door. They caught him just as he was heading out. He took one look at Lloyd and sighed, pointing to a room down the hall.

"Let's get him in the lab. We should to check his mana levels."

They entered the lab, Yuan taking Lloyd and placing him on a platform that ran along one side of the room. He entered some things on the computer and shook his head.

"It's just as I feared. It seems Lloyd suffers from an over intake of mana. His body is absorbing too much of it."

"But why would his body be absorbing mana?" Kratos questioned, feeling tense with worry. Anna tapped her chin, recalling what she'd been reading from the research reports.

"Perhaps he's inherited some of your qualities. Whatever they are, his body may be trying to make up for not having an exsphere." Yuan nodded.

"This is likely the case. In other words, we need to find a way to rebalance his mana. Otherwise, it seems that these episodes will only continue to worsen until eventually, he doesn't make it out of one." The parents exchanged worried glances, Anna was shaking a little. "For now, I can try to drain him of his excess mana. It's only a temporary solution, but it would help relieve him of the pain he's feeling right now." Kratos nodded.

"Please do so."

They watched as Yuan hovered over their feverish son, resting a hand on the boy's head. The half-elf closed his eyes and began to glow gently. Anna noticed the change of the flow of energy in the room. Her skin tingled again as they waited. Slowly, Lloyd's expression relaxed and his breathing returned to normal. Yuan stepped back slowly and the glow faded away. Kratos eyed them carefully, but soon released a sigh of relief. The worst seemed to be over.

"He's much better already. It seems to have worked," the swordsman muttered, affectionately rubbing the boy's hair.

"It's worked for now. However, as I've mentioned earlier, this is only a temporary solution. The only thing that might be able to save him is equipping an exsphere with a key crest." He held up his hand as the parents looked ready to refuse. "Didn't Yggdrasill already say that he has to eventually equip the Angelus Project? Face it. He's going to be getting one regardless. In this case, that might be in your favor. Exspheres have been known to help regulate mana flow in your body when equipped with a key crest. This theory supports why your mana goes out of control when you remove an exsphere that isn't bound by a key crest. Therefore, the Angelus Crystal may in fact help Lloyd manage his mana absorbing problem until his body can handle it." The parents looked at each other again and sighed. Anna looked down at Lloyd's sleeping form on the platform. He looked much more peaceful yet, the guilt ate at her heart. _Because of me, Lloyd will have to carry on the Angelus Project…_ Anna shook her head.

"There has to be some other way to help him with this. He shouldn't have to carry the burden I did with that exsphere." Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize that refusing Yggdrasill would result in one of your deaths. Unless you plan on running and being chased across the worlds again…" He paused, watching them carefully. _If you do…_ To his disappointment Anna shook her head almost immediately.

"Unless we have no other choice, I want to avoid that as much as possible." Yuan shrugged.

"That choice falls to the two of you. Just be aware of it."

* * *

The air was strangely cool against his skin and his view of the world around him seemed to be greyer. All around them was this strange white fluff. It made a sort of crunching sound as his parents and uncle walked through the town. He looked over his mother's shoulders, feeling restricted due to the thick clothing he had been forced to wear, in order to look at the buildings. All of the people they passed were also wearing thick clothes! His mother laughed softly at his wonder.

"Looking at the snow, Lloyd?" He eyed his short-haired mother thoughtfully.

"Snow…?" he replied slowly, rolling the word off his tongue. Anna nodded.

"All of the white stuff. It's called snow. It will snow instead of rain in places that are much cooler. The snow feels cold as well." The little boy looked on in awe of this new environment.

Once they reached their destination, his mother put him down. He stood in the snow for a moment, before lifting one foot and slowly stepping ahead, listening to snow crunch and compress beneath his foot. He stepped slowly again, before giggling and breaking into a run. He ran in circles, his mother watching happily as they waited for his father and uncle. The little boy paused and thought for a moment.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Lloyd?" He kicked at the snow sheepishly.

"You're not going to get in trouble are you?" Anna tilted her head before she realized what he meant. She walked up to him with a warm smile on her face and rubbed his hair.

"Nope! This is a special occasion! A vacation, if you will. Your father and your uncle managed to get us a few days away from home and in exchange, Yuan just has to keep an eye on us. We figured you'd feel better being outside for a little while. How have you felt since we've got here?" Lloyd gave her a wide childish grin and a thumbs up.

"I feel good! It feels better outside."

"That's great! Hey, want me to show you something?"

"Okay!"

His mother picked up a handful of snow and squeezed it into a small ball. Then, she rolled it around the ground and Lloyd watched in surprise as the snowball grew bigger and bigger. Finally, when it was the size of his head, she rolled up two more balls of snow, each smaller than the last. She stacked them on top of each other, biggest to smallest. She looked around with a pout on her face.

"Hmm… We're going to need some sticks, something that looks like buttons and something for the nose." Lloyd bounced on his feet.

"Oh! Scavenger hunt time? I bet I can find the sticks!" He ran towards a nearby tree, as his mother watched on.

"Okay, but don't go too far from the inn! Stay within sight!" She looked around and noticed a small stand just down the road. Once Lloyd came back with the sticks, she told him to pick the best two and to wait there while she went to get the rest of the items. While the boy was sorting through the small pieces of wood, Yuan and Kratos exited the inn.

"Lloyd? Where is your mother?" his father asked. Lloyd didn't look up from his important task of stick selection. He pointed down the road.

"She said she had to get something." Out of the corner of his eye, his uncle shrugged.

"She'll be back. Anyways, you guys have fun. I'll return to 'escort' you back to Welgaia." With a wave, he was off and Kratos shook his head, chuckling. Deciding that he'd wait for Anna while Lloyd dealt with the sticks, he leaned against the stair railings that lead into the inn. Having picked what he thought were the best sticks of the bunch, he ran back to the tree he was at. Kratos watched as the boy knelt near a tree and picked something up. Seeing he was being monitored, he hid it behind his back, walking back to his father shyly.

"What are you hiding, Lloyden?" The boy rolled back and forth on his feet.

"I wanted to find you something…" He was speaking very quietly.

"Oh?"

A few moments passed until Lloyd dropped the act, his face breaking into infectious grin. He revealed a white flower and held it up to his father.

"Take it! It's a thank you present!" Kratos, surprised by this, took the flower carefully from his son. "Thank you for letting mom come outside with us!" The swordsman was taken aback. The boy took it as a good reaction and ran up to his mother who had returned with a small bag of items.

"Oh Kratos! Do you want to help us finish our snowman? I was just showing Lloyd how to make one. Oh, Lloyd, these sticks are wonderful! Let's put them right here…"

Kratos smiled warmly at his family, holding the flower close to his chest. It was moments like these that made the past few thousand years worth it.

* * *

_Next_

_Chapter 5: __Even in things we thought went smoothly, once we knew of his sadness, we were powerless_

_"It's time for Lloyd Aurion to take over as the host for the Angelus Project."_

* * *

**A/N's: Thank you to everyone who reads these chapters! I always like to check the hits every couple of days, but please review! Let me know what you think. See you guys next time! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N's: Sorry this is so late. School has been ridiculous. However, it ends in about 2 weeks... so regular updates will return soon enough. **

* * *

**Chapter 5: Even in things we thought went smoothly, once we knew of his sadness, we were powerless**

"_I want to tell you __that even if we're far apart, I won't forget our bond." _

_~ Holy Shine by DaisyxDaisy_

He knew this day would come, but it didn't it make it any easier to come to terms with. Anna had been devastated when Yuan had come to give them warning. They both knew it would happen, it was part of the agreement after all. Lloyd still had his feverish episodes, and Yuan assured them repeatedly that only an exsphere would be able to save him. Regardless of all this, they didn't want him to deal with their burdens. Today, an angel had told Kratos that Yggdrasill had an important announcement. Before he left, Anna had snuck out of Welgaia to find someone near Iselia. He and Yuan would have to keep Yggdrasill distracted long enough in order for her to return safely without him knowing. Kratos clenched his fists. _I swore I would protect you both and yet…_ He forced himself to relax as he entered Yggdrasill's chamber. Yuan was already there.

"Ah, there you are, Kratos."

"You called for me?" The swordsman's voice was forced.

"Yes, I did. It's time for Lloyd Aurion to take over as the host for the Angelus Project." Kratos tightly clenched his hands again, but tried to avoid reacting any further. He managed a tense and curt nod. Yuan nodded as well. "I'll leave his care up to the two of you, instead of the Grand Cardinals. I want yearly updates on the growth of the Angelus Crystal. Since it'll be with a key crest, I expect it to take quite a long while to experience any significant growth."

"If I may, Lord Yggdrasill," Yuan started. The angel lord nodded for him to continue. "It might be best to let the boy live on Sylvarant. We could send him near Iselia. Since that world is swarming with monsters, it'll likely encourage further growth from the Angelus Crystal." Yuan inwardly smirked as he appeared to catch the blonde's interest.

"Oh?"

* * *

It had to be raining today of all days. This was the day in which the culmination of her failures and mistakes reared its ugly head, kicked her in the gut and tore out her heart. Once she had arrived in Sylvarant, the cold rain had begun to fall. It started slowly, until it became a full out downpour. The droplets weaved their way into her hair, eventually dripping onto her face. They fell and rolled off her cheeks. Despite the fact that she could no longer cry, no matter how much she wanted to, she looked like she was now. Anna looked up at clouded sky and shuddered. _Please be alright, Lloyd… Please!_ Shaking her head, she resolved herself to walk forward. _For better… or for worse. I will make sure that Lloyd lives to see the worlds reunited once again. _

She walked through the quiet forest. With the rain, the monsters seemed to have run off to find cover. That was fine by her. With the magic she'd been practicing with Kratos, it wouldn't have been a big deal anyways. However, she appreciated the peace and quiet. She shivered slightly, realizing her clothes had been soaked through in the rain. _Oh well… I need to keep moving._ Every step became increasingly difficult. She wanted to be there for her son as he took on her old burden of the Angelus Project, but at the same time, she didn't think she could handle seeing it. This was the only thing she could do for him right now. _Kratos promised me…. he promised me he'd be alright. So, it'll be okay. _

Finally, she stepped into a clearing and saw her destination. She approached the cottage door slowly, and raised her hand to knock on the door, but paused. Her hand shook. What right did they have to intrude on someone else's life? They'd be under just as much scrutiny as her family. _But… for Lloyd…_ Her internal battle came to a halt as the door opened, revealing a surprised dwarf. They simply stared at each other in surprise for a few moments until recognition dawned on the dwarf's face.

"You…! Ms. Anna, was it? What are you doing out here in the rain? Please come in." Dirk stepped away from the door in order to let her through. She let her arm drop to her side and gave the dwarf a sad smile.

"Yeah… it's me." She stepped in and let Dirk close the door behind her. She awkwardly stood in place, looking down at the floor sadly. _It's too late to go back on it now… _Being waved into a seat, she deliberately walked over to the table in the center of the main floor, and took a seat, looking down at her hands. Dirk gave her a towel to dry herself with. Absentmindedly, she dabbed the towel on her arms and face. The dwarf was, thankfully, very patient as the minutes passed by in awkward silence. Anna sighed. _I can't hold this in forever…_

"I – that is – we, my family… We need your help." He looked concerned.

"Are ya still being chased like ya were the last time? Are the other two alright?"

"Kratos and Lloyd are fine." Remembering the day, she added, "For the most part." Another sigh escaped her lips. "We aren't being chased per say. It's just… our son. We found a job of sorts that requires quite a bit of our attention and…" She bit her lip, trying to hold back the truth. She didn't want to lie, but it was the only way to ensure that he was not targeted for knowing too much. Dirk took a seat across from her, releasing a deep sigh.

"You and your husband work for Cruxis, don'tcha?" Anna's breath was suddenly caught in her throat as she locked eyes with him. He smirked at her surprise. "All dwarves have come into contact with 'em at some point, in some fashion. They needed us to deal with the key crests that they required. Dwarves who chose not to join them were forced to swear silence on the topic and the knowledge of many of our sacred arts were taken by them. I may not have met 'em personally, but I've heard the stories. The clothes ya wear, the Cruxis Crystal that ya hide on your chest beneath your clothes… not to mention, I saw what happened those years ago, the night before all of ya left." Anna returned to staring at her hands and fiddled with them. "You're tryin' to get your son away from Cruxis?" She nodded.

"We can't let him stay there. Even now, with what's happening as we speak… I don't know what condition he'll be in once I return. During the past few years, he's suffered from illness quite a bit and I believe that having him on Sylvarant will help him recover, while also keeping him out of the hands of Cruxis."

"Is something wrong with your son?"

"He has something that has required the equipping of an exsphere. My husband is completing that task right now, trying to make sure that he makes it through." She locked eyes with the dwarf once more. "Please understand! We are not doing this because…" Her voice trailed off and the words died in her throat. Dirk took a deep breath.

"They're forcing you both, aren't they?" Anna nodded again, looking away.

"We're trying to do our best to protect him. The last thing we want is for him to be influenced by Cruxis. Even now, I'm not supposed to be here, in Sylvarant. If I'm found out, I could be killed. What I need is – I would like my son to stay with you. His father will come and see him once a month for a few days and, of course, supplies will – "

"No need to say much more. I'll do it." Anna was taken aback. Dirk gave her a wide grin. "Dwarven Vow #2: Never abandon someone in need! Ya may work for Cruxis but I can tell that you're not truly with them. Bring 'im here anytime you're ready. My home is open to the three of ya."

* * *

Yuan tapped his foot impatiently. Just how long did this woman think she could disappear unnoticed for? They had been lucky that the mentioning of allowing Lloyd to go to Sylvarant had distracted Yggdrasill for this long. Once they had explained their reasons, the angel lord had gone into deep thought about it. To anyone other than the two Seraphim, it would seem like he was just considering if it worth the risk of sending a young child with a powerful exsphere down to the surface. Yuan grunted in disgust. He knew better.

With the consideration of allowing the boy's parents to visit at least once every month or so, Yggdrasill was more concerned with them trying to escape. However, he had to be somewhat grateful. Even with Kratos' return to Cruxis with his family, Yggdrasill did not trust the human turned angel as much as he once did. Yuan now - at least partially - stood as the trustworthy one, which often resulted in him being sent to keep an eye on Kratos. _Fine by me…_, he thought.

It worked out in his favor. Occasionally, he let Kratos know he was following him, and struck up a conversation with him here and there. These moments, though seemingly friendly, were far from innocent. He had been looking for any sort of undeniable proof that if he asked Kratos to join him and the Renegades, that his longtime friend would join and willingly accept the sacrifice that would become of him. The only way to stop Mithos and return the worlds to normal was to take back the Eternal Sword. As he was a half-elf, he'd be able to wield it. _Barely, but a sword can't be all that different from my own weapon._ Unfortunately, Kratos never seemed to answer his questions the way he wanted to. Yuan had expected the man to have his family at the forefront of his thoughts, but the blue haired warrior hadn't considered to what extent. It was ridiculous. It was as if Kratos was putting his family's sake before the sake of saving the two worlds. He was too busy playing house to take up the role he owed.

Yuan sighed, rubbing his forehead. Despite how he appeared to the many he knew, he was patient. If the child did go to Sylvarant, he would have far more opportunities to figure out if he could get the parents to join him willingly. If not, blackmail was still an option, though it was one he definitely wanted to avoid. He knew that by holding their only son hostage, they'd give up anything to ensure his safety.

The guilt threatened to break his resolve. The ringing of Lloyd's little voice calling out to his uncle tormented his thoughts. He could imagine the boy's happy face whenever he told him a story, especially if it involved his father. He could almost feel the infectious grin spreading on his face. _The worlds come first. Fulfilling Martel's true wish is my number one priority, _he thought to himself. That single thought echoed throughout his mind and washed away his guilt. He didn't have a choice in this. He had to succeed. He was abruptly returned to reality by the sound of steps walking off the warp portal.

"Yuan?" Anna asked him worriedly. "I-I'm sorry, did I take too long? Where's Lloyd?"

"You took longer than we expected, but Yggdrasill is suitably distracted at the moment, so you'll be fine. Kratos is carrying out some final tests before we equip the Angelus exsphere to Lloyd." Anna flinched, and looked away as Yuan's expression softened. "I understand that you're worried. Keep in mind that we're making sure that we're as prepared as we can be. Theoretically, this exsphere should save him. He'll be fine." Anna nodded numbly and started to walk away.

"I'll be in the library. Please tell Kratos to call for me when the task is done."

Yuan gave her a nod that he knew she couldn't see and sighed before walking in the direction of the lab. Upon entering, he removed his cape and wrist gloves. Flexing his hands he approached the table that his friend's son laid upon, in some form of sleep. Kratos had attached the mana monitors to him and was checking over the machinery. _This is likely the fifth time he's checked_, Yuan thought dryly.

"How did you get him to sleep?" Yuan asked, touching the back of his hand to Lloyd's forehead, and frowned. The boy was having yet another fever.

"I didn't. He's absorbed too much mana again, which caused him to faint. We'll likely have to balance his levels out before equipping the exsphere." The half-elf nodded and went to work immediately. He rested the palm of his hand on the boy's chest and focused, drawing out the boy's excess mana. It was only a few moments before Kratos waved at him to stop. "His levels are looking better. I'm going to equip the exsphere now."

Yuan stepped back and watched as Kratos attached the key crest to Lloyd's right hand. His friend paused as he picked up the exsphere. He closed his eyes for a moment.

"Please let this work," he muttered quietly. Yuan tilted his head to one side. He still found it surprising to see Kratos care for a child so strongly.

When they first met on the battlefield during the days of the war, the man's apathetic attitude had always irked him. He couldn't stand it. If there anything he had wanted to do back then, it was to make Kratos show him that he cared about something - anything. He had shown his softer sides around them when they travelled, but this was different. He had been somewhat cold when he returned to Cruxis with his family, but he was different. He smiled, laughed, said the strangest things if it meant getting a laugh out of his son. He made strange faces, and expressed emotions Yuan never thought the man even had.

The Angelus exsphere was equipped to the child as both men held their breath, looking back and forth between the monitor and the child. Lloyd made no signs that his condition was improving or worsening, and Kratos' worry only grew. Minutes passed, neither of the Seraphim moved. Suddenly, the monitor started beeping - a warning of danger. Something was seriously wrong. Kratos jumped into action immediately, pressing all sorts of buttons in several combinations. The screen flashed and changed to reveal a moving image. It showed the silhouette of Lloyd's body and a cloudy blue color filled his form. For whatever reason, the clouds were moving towards the boy's right hand but a little too quickly. Yuan inhaled sharply at the image and cursed in angelic.

"Looks like the worst possible scenario has come to pass. The exsphere is too much for his already unstable mana structure to maintain." Kratos clenched his hands tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Damn it. Anna is going to hate this… We have no choice. We have to try the double exsphere solution."

"Are you sure about this, Kratos? Remember, we may be damning him even more. Wouldn't it-"

"For spirits sake, Yuan!" The half-elf winced at the harshness in the man's tone, not that he could blame him. Even for one who's lived as long as Kratos, humans took death very differently from the other races. He knew that suggesting to let his son pass peacefully was not an option until all others had been tirelessly tried. Kratos wanted to say more, but fear for his son had clenched his heart. Shakingly, he moved tufts of Lloyd's bangs out of the boys peacefully closed eyes.

"I'll fetch the Cruxis crystal. Try to balance out the mana on his left side. I'll return shortly." Yuan headed for the door as Kratos took his place at Lloyd's left side. With purpose and urgency in each step, he quickly walked over to the experimental exsphere holding. They held several different Cruxis crystals here that were being tested for certain effects. He headed for the computer that catalogued statistics for each crystal they had stored there. He was particularly in need of a stable but complete crystal. Unfortunately, the most stable was nowhere near complete, and the most complete was nowhere near stable. They needed a crystal that could almost match the strength of the Angelus crystal. Otherwise, their only hope of saving Lloyd would crumble.

He tapped his foot as he looked over his options. Finally, he found one. Close to completion, and rather stable, for the most part. There were notes about what tests were being conducted with it, but he ignored them for now, leaving a mental note for himself to look into it later. He retrieved the crystal and all but ran back to the lab. He whispered a small prayer.

"Martel, help us. Please."

* * *

Anna couldn't stop herself from shaking. The fear and guilt hammered against her rapidly beating heart. She slumped into her usual seat in the library, rested her elbows on the surface of the table, and buried her face in her hands. She needed to do something – anything – useful. Looking up, she realized that the books she had been reading and learning from the past couple of years were scattered all over and around the table. She picked one of them up and leafed through it. She nodded to herself, realizing that she had picked up one of the exsphere research manuals. She went to return it to the shelf, but noticed that nothing near its original place had anything to do with it. Frowning, Anna glanced over the titles and author names of all of the books on the same shelf.

"No wonder things are impossible to locate in here. Nothing is any sort of order!" Crossing her arms, and tapping her fingers against her arm, she sighed and shook her head, hoping it would shake the worry and fear away too. In a way, it felt like it almost worked. "I might as well sort through all of this and try to organize it myself."

She chose the nearest empty shelf to start with. Starting with any exsphere related material, she placed them on one side of the shelf but not before going through them again to make sure she had read them. A section that she hadn't seen before caught her eye in one of the research reports. It was in smaller font than the rest of the report and parts of it had been scratched out and labelled as unimportant. _Exsphere compression techniques…_, she thought to herself, quickly reading through it.

It would seem that once upon a time, research was conducted on how to suppress the powers of an exsphere. There are certain artes that could be used in order to block or reduce the positive effects the crystal gives its wearer. Obviously, this research was cut short. For Cruxis, there was no point in reducing the bonuses an exsphere gave. In fact, this research only allowed the birth of information that could be used against them. However, Anna saw a possible usefulness. She folded a corner of the page she was on and left the manual on the table. That one she would have to return to and examine in detail. Luckily for her, it still mentioned and described the artes that were attempted during the study.

She sighed as she eyed her pile of books that may have information on the Eternal Sword. As she had been so absorbed about Lloyd's condition and learning healing artes, she hadn't been able to find much information on the magic weapon. It didn't help that it was hardly mentioned to begin with.

She jumped in surprise when a lifeless angel wandered into the library. They never did so unless there was a reason. He handed her a note and bowed slightly.

"Lord Yggdrasill has requested that I deliver this message to you."

* * *

It was difficult for him to believe. The past two and a half years had passed in a blur as he could only remember what he had been awake to see. For the first time in a long while, he woke up without feeling too warm and without feeling sick. The lights were dim in his room, making it easy for him to open his eyes without pain. He pushed himself into a sitting position and stretched, feeling strangely refreshed. It was incredibly rare that he would awaken with minor exhaustion and no fever. Usually, his head felt like there was something thick and heavy inside, pushing against it and the rest of his body. Today, the feeling was gone but he could still see the light fog.

He had started seeing the fog quite a long time ago, probably around when his sickness first started. Whenever his father brought him outside, he could hardly notice it, but at home it was everywhere. It seemed to float and hover around his parents and uncle especially. It made them easy to find if he needed them and so, Lloyd didn't think it was anything bad. Therefore, he never brought it up with his family. At the very least, the fog didn't obstruct his vision. It was like looking through a mesh. Depending on how your vision was focused, you could easily see either the mesh or anything behind it.

Something shiny caught his eye, drawing him to look at his hands. He frowned at the crystals attached to him, surrounded by a strange metal charm. One was a deep blue while the other was more of a dark red. His parents had told him that these crystals had helped him get better. He didn't like the red one very much though. Sometimes, it felt like it was burning, while the blue one always only just a little bit warm.

After a light knock on the door, his father opened it. Seeing that the child was awake, he wandered in with a plate of breakfast. Lloyd smiled happily as the meal was placed on his lap. It also rare for him to get breakfast in bed, especially with the permission of his father. It was small and simple, just some scrambled eggs with a bit of bacon. He felt a hand rub his messy hair.

"How are you feeling today, Lloyd?" The boy was already gobbling down his food. _Good, he still has an appetite,_ the man thought. After attaching two exspheres, they were worried about accidentally initiating the angel transformation, or simply making him sicker.

Children were not commonly equipped with exspheres because it was too dangerous, and usually, not worth the little bit of growth that they provided to the gems. However, it appeared as though Lloyd was different than most children. From what they could tell from the little research Yuan could do, the boy had a rather symbiotic relationship with the Angelus Project. They benefitted each other in several ways. The only issue was that Lloyd's body was still too immature to handle the exsphere, and therefore needed a second one to balance out the pulls on his mana. Since he had a tendency to absorb mana, the exspheres would only end up draining his excess energy. Once he was older, he wouldn't need the second exsphere at all.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Yuan had warned that if the Cruxis Crystal they had given the boy began to evolve further, Yggdrasill would demand that it stays. Furthermore, he may even try to make Lloyd a research subject. The swordsman frowned at this thought. _Over my dead body…_

"I feel really good today!" the boy exclaimed with a full mouth. Kratos smirked at him.

"Swallow then speak. You don't want to choke." The boy nodded sheepishly as he finished up the last bits of his breakfast. Lloyd picked up the napkin underneath his plate and cleaned off his face before giving his father a big silly grin.

"Thanks, Dad!"

"You're welcome." Kratos did his usual check up on the boy. He observed the exspheres and their crests, and made sure Lloyd wasn't overly warm. "Do you have enough energy to walk around?" The boy nodded excitedly. "Good. Then take your plates and come with me. I have something for you."

Lloyd gasped and his eyes were glittered with elation. He grabbed his plate and carefully slid off the bed. He hung onto the edge of it since he felt a little wobbly at first, but after a few moments he was fine. He happily followed after his father, out of the room and into their kitchen area. The boy placed the plate on the counter and looked up at his approaching father. The man held out a pair of red gloves and a pair of strange looking poles. The boy tilted his head to the side.

"The gloves are to cover your hands. You don't like looking at the exspheres right? And these are the wooden swords I promised you." Lloyd jumped up and down in excitement. He accepted the gloves and put them on first. They still showed his fingers and had a round bronze covering that fit perfectly over the exsphere on each of his hands. The red material was strong but still flexible. Then, he accepted the sheathed wooden blades as his father attached something to his waist.

"How about we go to one of the training rooms and I can show you how to use them?" The swordsman couldn't but smile in response to the child's happy agreement.

* * *

The past few days had left Lloyd feeling a little apprehensive. His father had let him train with him, his mother had been gone for more than a few days for the first time and when she returned, she only seemed sad. She had been a little overly affectionate ever since she had returned and now, he was outside looking at the stars with both of his parents for the first time in years. His mother hadn't gone outside with them since they had lived at their current home. Lloyd was certainly happy about this, he couldn't but feel sad and worried. Why were so many things changing at once? It didn't help that while they were outside, together as a family, his parents didn't look happy either. They were _worried_ about something, Lloyd could tell. It was something that bothered them a lot, and had been bothering them ever since he had first woken up after being given the exspheres. The problem was that they refused to tell him.

It wasn't like he hadn't asked. He asked his mother quite often if she was okay, if something was wrong. She always gave him a sad smile and shook her head. Then, he'd go to his father, upset and bothered by her reaction and ask him if he knew was wrong. It disturbed him even more when his father had said the same thing with the same kind of expression. After a while, even though he still asked every day, once they gave their usual sad response, he found that he didn't want to do much of anything. He'd sit around at home, staring at his books but not really reading them. Sometimes, he would start a drawing but forget where he was going with it and give up. Some days he just stayed in his room, not really doing or thinking about anything.

It only seemed to make the problem worse, because then his parents looked even _more_ worried.

Finally, Anna looked away from the night sky to observe her son, who was staring up at the sky. He didn't really seem to be looking at it though, he appeared to be more lost in thought. She sighed.

"Lloyd." Her little boy looked at her curiously. "Do you like being outside?" She knew Kratos was giving her a side glace. _We can't hide it forever though._ Lloyd thought for a moment before nodding. "Well, you know how sometimes your father has to leave for jobs sometimes? It turns out that I'll be doing the same from now on, so that's why I'm allowed outside now." The boy seemed happy about this.

"So, we can go outside together from now on?"

Anna looked away finding it difficult to say anymore, and Lloyd's smile fell. Kratos reached up to rub the boy's hair, continuing for her instead.

"Lloyd, do you remember when we stayed at a dwarf's house before we moved to our home?"

"Only a little…" Lloyd didn't like where this was going.

"Your mother and I were thinking that you could stay with him while we're not at home. Not to mention, there's a school in the village nearby. You can make friends with –"

"I don't want to!" the boy suddenly exclaimed. He pulled his head away from his father's reach and gave them a frightened expression. "I can stay at home by myself! I can take care of myself, can't I? I don't want to be away from you and…" Hot, wet tears poured down his face. He stood up and tried to hide his tears behind his arm, while his parents watched sympathetically. Anna sat up and pulled the crying child into her lap, wrapped her arms around him.

"You've been asking me if I was worried about something, right? I was worried about you. Your father and I have to do our jobs, we don't have a choice. But we didn't want to leave you at home all alone. Who would you play with?"

"What about Uncle?" the boy asked between sobs.

"Your uncle has jobs just like we do. Besides, sweetie, it's not like you're never going to see us. We'll come visit you for a couple of days every month. You'll be able to meet other kids your own age. There's so much more for you to explore outside as well. Doesn't that sound exciting?" He didn't reply, but he did calm down quite a bit. He had to admit, it sounded fun but he still didn't like the idea of being away from his parents so much. Slowly though, the idea of being able to be outside again began to win over his thoughts of worry.

"…You promise you'll come visit?" His father nodded at him.

"We promise."

* * *

_Next: _

_Chapter 6: __We came upon many trials and difficulties, standing idle before them_

"_Never forget, Lloyd. You may not be able to talk to your friends about these things but you can always talk to me, your father or Dirk._

* * *

**A/N's: I had another scene at the end but it didn't seem to fit after a little while... I'll probably release it as a one shot or something later when this story is complete. Please review!**

Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: We came upon many trials and difficulties, standing idle before them**

_"It's hard to figure out the answers to the questions..." ~ One by Faith Hill_

The march to the ranch was long, hot, and hard. The children and elderly especially were faltering at each step. One or two had already fallen and were left to rot in the sun. They didn't get up after being kicked and whipped by the Desians who had raided their town, and still hadn't moved even after the group continued walking. Even now, if one of them dared to look back, they could probably still see the outline of their forsaken bodies.

Most people had never been to the ranch. While they all shook and feared for their lives, none feared for their lives more than the ones who had already escaped from it once. They still had exspheres attached to them, but knew that once they crossed those grand, terrifying gates of deathly steel that their lives were forfeit. Their exspheres would be removed, and their life would drain away from them, never to return.

They were approaching the forests that surrounded the Asgard ranch. The shade provided by the trees helped reduce the heat, but not by much. A black-haired child fell to his knees, unable to continue. His green eyes were puffy from crying, but the tears had dried up during their march. His parents had been killed in front of him during the raid because they tried to stop the invaders. Sadly, their lives were wasted as they were brutally cut down by Desian swords. The boy had given up now. He didn't care if they left him to rot like the rest.

"Hey, kid. Get up!" A whip slapped his back. He bit back a cry of pain, and simply collapsed onto his stomach. "I said, get up!" The slaps of the whip continued, and his body jerked at each hit. The other prisoners looked on in horror and some moved to turn the remaining children around.

"H-hey, what the-", one guard exclaimed.

Light green feathers had begun to gently drift down towards them. The Desians looked around in a panic while the people watched in wonder. The boy lying on the ground looked up as well, while the man who had been whipping him dropped his weapon.

"I demand that you release these people," a voice spoke.

"What? Where are you? Why would we release them?" The guards were shaking now, but the prisoners couldn't understand why. Who would have the power to fight off six Desians?

"Surely, you've heard of me. I suppose I'll have to remind you…"

There was a flash of light, and a guard cried out in pain. The group turned to him and many stepped back in shock and surprise. A rapier was protruding through the guard's chest and someone was standing behind him. The stranger pulled the sword back as the guard slumped forward. His body hit the ground with a thud. The blood pooled around his wound and into the surrounding dirt. Suddenly, the stranger vanished, but the voice returned.

"This is my final warning. Release, or fear the wrath of the ancestors of the Aurions."

One prisoner, a woman, cried out in joy, clapping her hands over her mouth. The guards growled in rage.

"Show yourself!" Another flash. The stranger appeared again, near the guard who had yelled. The stranger was a woman with shoulder length brown hair. She wore strange deep blue armor and wielded a royal looking rapier. She smiled sweetly as the guard spun around and found they were face to face.

"Will you leave now?"

The Desians yelled out and rushed her. The prisoners moved out of the way, one of them helping the whipped child. The brunette sighed and jumped into the air. She landed behind the charging group, then quickly cut down two of them before they could react. _Three left,_ she thought to herself. Dodging a slash that was aimed for her face, she jumped back.

"Damn you, you inferior being!"

She smirked. "'Inferior' being, huh?" The attackers stopped in their tracks as she unfurled her wings. They were light green, just like the feathers that had been falling around them this whole time.

"I knew it! It's the Lady Aurion of Cruxis! I've heard the rumors of her. Goddess Martel must have sent her here to save us!" the happy woman exclaimed. Hope lit up the faces of the other prisoners. One of the children held the hand of the whipped child.

"See, Joseph? Martel has come to save us!"

The boy, Joseph, looked up at the angel weakly with a faint smile. Hope spread through his features, lighting up his eyes and returning a happy, child-like look to his face. None of them had ever expected that this would happen to them. How fortunate could they be? Many people began to kneel, leaving themselves at the mercy of the angel, believing that she would protect them.

The Desians gripped their weapons and stepped back, now unsure of what to do. The angel pointed her blade at them. One child looked up and was stunned by the sight. Their Lady stood straight and held a very regal, intimidating presence. The sunlight that filtered through the trees glittered off her silver rapier, and the wind felt its way through her hair. Brunette strands waved gently against her skin as her wings sparkled and shone divinely behind her.

"Desians of the Asgard Ranch. Return to your ranch master. He shall give the people of Luin peace for the next few weeks." They simply stared at her, shaking in their boots. "You might want to go before I change my mind."

They didn't need to be told again.

The people rose slowly as the Desians fled for their lives. The angel sheathed her weapon and smiled upon them.

"I shall guide you back to your town. C-…Cruxis has…," she closed her eyes and turned away from them. "Cruxis has saved you from the Desians this day. Do not forget thei-, I mean, our generosity." The people nodded, tears of joy streaming from many of their faces, ignoring the stumbles in her speech.

"We thank you, our Lady!"

"We humbly accept your guidance!"

She returned them to Luin with her wings hidden, stopping at least a mile from the town and watching them return home. She released a deep sigh and flexed, looking up at the sky. The sun had reached the end of its afternoon high, and had begun crawling towards the horizon. She needed to be in Iselia within the next three days. She gave herself a pat on the back and smiled.

"Perfect. Looks like I completed that task early enough. Finally at least, with the Journey of Regeneration so close, I won't have to do that job for a while," she muttered. Then, she sighed to herself and frowned as she remembered something.

_"__So, in the end, if you want him to live, there isn't much of a choice."_

Perhaps, the Journey had come a little quickly after all.

* * *

The Hall of the Great Seed was silent as he awaited a report from Sylvarant's Angel of Judgement. At the moment, things were going quite smoothly. Yuan was busy tracking down the filthy Renegades, while Kratos' woman was fulfilling her assignments and Kratos himself was preparing for the start of the journey. The woman had been appearing randomly in both worlds to deliver messages that he had approved and he had given her the freedom to deliver them in whatever manner she deemed appropriate, as long as it put Cruxis in good light. She had occasionally taken to saving small groups of humans from the Desians but as it hardly affected the ranches activities, he left the issue alone. She knew the punishment for stepping out of line and so, he wasn't concerned with her actions as much.

His thoughts were usually focused on Yuan and Kratos. They were difficult to read and Yuan, being particularly devious, was a pain to deal with on most occasions. However, with Kratos' betrayal of engaging inappropriately with the Angelus Project and nearly abandoning Cruxis as a whole because of it, the angel lord was left with no choice but to place his trust in Yuan for several critical tasks. Even still, the shadow of Kratos' actions didn't blind him from the half-elf's suspicious movements. Yuan was doing _something_. He just hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly what, especially without any substantial proof. Besides, the main issue with Yuan was that he didn't have something to pull him down if he betrayed him after all. At the very least with Kratos, he could use the woman… and if not her, then the boy. The boy who currently was –

He looked up as the warp activated and Remiel appeared. The angel hovered forward before kneeling.

"You called for me, my lord?"

"Indeed. In only a few months' time, the Chosen of Sylvarant shall begin the Journey of Regeneration, as you know. Are the preparations for the Oracle complete?"

"Yes, my lord. Everything has been prepared. Once the Chosen of Mana's sixteen birthday arrives, the Oracle shall arrive as planned."

Yggdrasill nodded, pleased with the response. "Excellent. As the Angel of the Judgement, you shall instruct the Chosen as she awakens the seals. However, I also have another task for you. Some things will be a little _different_ about this journey."

"My lord?"

"One of my… former companions has been tasked with accompanying the Chosen, as well as his son. I would like you to report to me if the boy is not with the group when the seals are awakened. Be sure not to draw attention to it by asking them. I don't want that man to know that they're being monitored. They should be easy enough to recognize on sight."

The short-haired blonde angel nodded. "Understood."

The angel lord merely smirked in response. "You are dismissed." Yggdrasill waited a few moments after Remiel had left. He floated out of the hall, deciding that it would be a good time to check on one of his projects. The lifeless angels bowed to him as he passed them by, but he paid them no attention.

At last, he arrived at his destination. Changing into his child form, he smirked to himself as he activated the warp pad.

* * *

Papers exploded across the desk as they were slammed down against its surface. The one responsible for this reaction growled in frustration and dropped himself into his chair behind the desk. He frowned at the mess as his second in command rubbed his temples and sighed.

"Something wrong, sir?"

Yuan simply slapped a hand against his forehead, leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts. He was having a rare moment. Usually, he had a clear vision of exactly what he needed and wanted to do. He could weave his way through Mithos' plans and find ways to avoid the ones who were tailing him whenever he left Derris Kharlan. On most days, he would cut down a good friend he'd known for thousands of years simply to fulfill his goals if it was required.

However, today was not one of those days.

"I'm fine. What's the status of the Regeneration squads? Will they be ready to march to Iselia in time for the Oracle?"

"Their training is complete, and new recruits are still coming in. I'd also like to inform you that the King of Tethe'alla has agreed to our proposal. Mizuho will be sending an assassin to help in dealing with the Chosen. All we need to do is give them the okay to bring her to Sylvarant," Botta reported. He held the reports in his hand, but didn't look at them once while speaking. He'd always made an effort to retain as much relevant information as possible. Yuan nodded in reply to this and leaned forward, with his elbows propped on his desk. He clasped his hands together and rested his chin against them.

"Good. Near the time of the Oracle, you'll be taking a squad with you to the Martel Temple on the other side of Iselia. Do your best to eliminate the Chosen before _he_ shows up. I found out that he's been the one tasked with accompanying the Chosen. If you encounter him, simply leave."

"And what of the wife and their son?"

Yuan closed his eyes, and willed himself not to flinch. He had expected the question at least but he didn't understand why he felt this way today. They had stopped communicating the week after Lloyd had been sent to the surface and their argument had occurred. He opened his eyes again, searching through the papers on his desk until he pulled out a calendar. He blinked and narrowed his eyes as he realized what day it was. Dropping it onto his desk, the half-elf shook his head.

"Don't engage with them unless _he's_ away. It'll be difficult to attempt to capture both. We'll have to hope for just one. Anna can fight well if she really needs to, and Lloyd's one hell of a reason for her to do so."

Botta glanced at the calendar for a moment before stating with understanding, "Ah… so _that's_ bothering you. I was starting to worry."

"Tch," Yuan muttered. "There's nothing to be concerned about." He began attempting to sort the papers he had so gracefully spewed all over his working area.

"You could always send him something in secret as a gift."

"He doesn't need any birthday gifts from someone like me. Not with what'll happen over the next several months."

"Are you sure he wouldn't be willing to listen if you explained everything to him?" Botta inquired gently.

The Renegade leader paused what he was doing and seemed sad for a moment. After a short time, he shook his head regretfully, and his officer nodded in reply, no longer pushing the matter. It had simply been too long. The time to make allies with any of the Aurions had long since passed, he realized. He had several chances before the boy was sent to Sylvarant, but out of fear and distrust, he had never approached Anna or Kratos about joining the Renegades to fight against Cruxis. He had never extended them the offer that could save their son and the Angelus Project from Yggdrasill's clutches. He had never given his own nephew a chance… He sighed gravely, pushing those thoughts from his mind. He had no time for regrets now.

May he be damned for eternity for what he had to do, he was determined to fulfill Martel's final wish. The preparations were nearly complete and the time was quickly approaching. They didn't have a moment to lose. Anna and Kratos had been playing Cruxis' dogs for far too long now and wouldn't dare listen to him while their son had been isolated from Cruxis' influences. It was incredibly unlikely that the boy even still remembered him or anything about Welgaia properly. After gathering the papers up into a neat pile, he stood and walked over to the door.

"Come. Let's get the equipment prepared for Mizuho's assassin."

* * *

Kratos quickly went over the texts Anna had recommended that may have possible leads to the Eternal Sword. It was a continuous on going search that seemed to be endless. It didn't help that neither of them had time to read through these books as often since Mithos always seemed to have several tasks lined up for them. Many of these tasks took up to several weeks to complete and alongside at least trying to visit Lloyd once a month, they never seemed to have any free time. Even when they had some time together, they found themselves feeling a little lonely without their little boy around.

It didn't help that quite a few things had happened over the course of the past several years that only added to their worries with him. His exspheres had very sporadic growth, even though Anna had been doing everything she could to reduce it, and his second exsphere had gone through some strange changes. Regardless, they did their best to keep the knowledge of the exspheres and of Lloyd's incidents to themselves. So far, Mithos didn't appear to suspect anything.

_Or so I hope…_, the mercenary thought to himself as he pushed one of the books to the side of his desk with a sigh. He wasn't about to get much research done until he could stop worrying about his son. However, that was unlikely to cease at any given time.

Their biggest worry at the moment was keeping him from going on the regeneration journey. Mithos had tasked them with protecting the Chosen during her travels but had demanded last minute that Lloyd join them as well. Nevertheless, it was obvious that his main plan was to retrieve the Angelus Project once they reached the Tower of Salvation at the end of the journey.

_"__You two will ensure that they make it to the Tower of Salvation alive. If they do, then you're free to do as you wish. I won't force you to work for Cruxis any longer and you can live out your lives as you want."_

The issue with this was that their deal didn't mention what would happen to Lloyd if they succeeded. They knew Mithos would attempt to kill him if they failed, but would he really just let all three of them go free?

Kratos rested a hand on his forehead as he leaned back in his seat. _Of course not._ There was no way he'd make it that simple. But then, he wondered, if he wasn't going to let Lloyd go, then just what did he want with his son? Blackmail? Research material for the Angelus Project? The man frowned. There were too many possibilities. At the end of the day, his son was a target, and as a father, he would do everything in his power to keep his son out of the line of fire.

_It would've been nice to have had Yuan's input on all of this._ That thought occurred to him from time to time, rolling through his mind as he pondered his family's situation. Unfortunately, it was difficult to tell a lot of the time what side he was on, especially after their encounter years ago, just after his son had left for Sylvarant.

_Just what are you up to, Yuan?_

* * *

His arms burned and he gripped his swords as tightly as he could. He hovered over the ground, his eagle-like wings flapping gently. He was panting heavily and his body ached. There were scratches and bloody patches all over his clothes. He glared down at his other self. He was a fake. A liar. He had stolen his form but no one had believed it wasn't him. He didn't understand. The clone practically glowed with darkness and reeked of hatred. He wielded the same swords and pointed them at him with a dark smirk.

"_You can't escape yourself, Lloyd."_

Lloyd tensed and clenched his jaw. "Shut up. You're not me."

"_We are one in the same."_

With a growl of rage, Lloyd charged at the dark clone with his swords raised. However, in his exhaustion he was too slow. The fake maneuvered safely out of the way and responded with a drop kick to Lloyd's back, between his wings. The boy cried out in pain as he hit the ground and his world flashed white.

He sat up in his bed, panting heavily and sweating. Feeling dizzy, he reached up to touch his forehead and tried to grasp his surroundings. The room was made of wood, and his swords were resting against the wall near his daily clothes. With a quick peek at his back, he couldn't see nor feel wings or appendages of any sort. The blankets that had covered him when he first went to sleep were now strewn on the floor next to the foot of his bed. The sun was slowly breaking through the horizon, lighting the morning sky with its usual orange and red flares of color.

_You're at home… you're you. It's okay. Everything's okay_, he told himself, taking deep breaths. Shakily bringing his hands into view, he observed the exspheres that rested on the backs of them both. They were glowing softly for a few moments, but it quickly faded away. At the very least, they weren't burning.

_We are one in the same, Lloyd…_

The boy shivered, pushing the voice out of his mind and stared out of the window. The very sight of the sun rising through the horizon brought back a gentle flow of faded memories. Events and conversations that had occurred long ago hummed in his mind as his heart relaxed.  
He sighed, rubbing his forehead and watched the sunrise. It was the start of the weekend and his birthday, so he could afford to sleep in a little. He closed his eyes after a final deep breath, and let the sounds of the morning birds and Dirk's early day hammering soothe him into further rest. It didn't take long for him to slip into dreamless sleep for another few hours until the sun was high in the sky and he awoke to Noishe barking, usually meaning someone was around. As his eyes slowly fluttered open, he groaned.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming!" Noishe quieted, seeming to have heard him call out. As he rolled out of bed, he noticed that he couldn't hear his uncle working downstairs anymore. He shrugged before stretching and getting into his day clothes. He walked down the stairs and out the front door but couldn't see anyone. Rubbing the back of his head, he wandered up to Noishe's pen as its inhabitant whined at him.

"What's up with you today? Did something scare you?" The green and white dog replied by licking his cheek. Lloyd chuckled and gently pet the beast's head. "I guess Uncle Dirk stepped out for a bit. Might as well get to work on my chores before I go see Genis and Colette, especially since he promised me a good present if I get them done early." Grinning to himself, he went back into the cottage to retrieve a couple of things and immediately got to work.

On any given day, he always had several housekeeping tasks to do. They usually included tending to Noishe by brushing him down or putting him in his pen at night. Whatever the creature did on his wanderings during the day, he always needed to get things out of his fur in funny places. He also had to sweep around the path outside, tend to the garden during the warmer seasons and bring any dried hanging laundry inside. Once every other week or so, he ventured out with the dwarf to nearby caves or to the village of Iselia for materials. He was always rewarded with special lessons, or treats for doing his chores well, so he tried to do them right as often as possible.

He completed most of his tasks for the day a little over two hours later. He grabbed a snack and his twin blades before returning outside again. He withdrew them, standing only a few feet away from the house moved into the attacking stance his father had taught him. Then, he performed a series of strikes as he tried to keep an eye on his arm and foot work. Noishe watched nearby, his ears flicking in amusement. Lloyd hadn't been training for very long as Dirk returned from his venture. The dwarf gave a satisfied nod with a quick look over the area and grinned at the sight of the training boy in red.

"Yah got ya chores done early I see. I suppose I can give ya these now then," Dirk beamed. Lloyd sheathed his swords and went to wave a greeting to his adoptive uncle but ended up having to catch a pair of sheathed weapons in surprise. He looked up at Dirk in wonder who merely continued to grin. "'appy Birthday, Lloyd."

In a giddy rush, the swordsman unhooked his now old sheathed blades from his belt and fit in the new ones. Slowly, he withdrew them and a wide smile spread across his face as the sunlight reflected off the well-crafted edges of the blades. He practiced with them for a moment, enjoying the way he could grip the hilt and adjusting to the change in weight. Finally he held them up before him, beaming with pride.

"Thanks Uncle Dirk! These are great!"

Dirk chuckled. "Ah figured ya'd like 'em. Are ya off to see ya friends?" Sheathing the blades, Lloyd nodded.

"Yep! Colette had to do something with the priests this morning, but she should be free by now. Genis invited us both over."

Dirk frowned for a moment, glancing at the swordsman's hands. "Don't forget ya gloves, Lloyd." The teen reached for his back pockets and pulled a pair of red fingerless gloves.

"Got them right here! I kinda forgot to put them on before doing chores." The dwarf smiled and pat him on the back.

"Well don't let me get in ya way. Go have fun. Be safe in the forest, ya hear me?"

Lloyd nodded in response, still smiling, before heading towards the Iselia forest and waving to the dwarf. "I'll be safe! See you later!" Noishe howled in reply as well.

The forest wasn't nearly as dangerous during the day, and the monsters that roamed it were rather weak to begin with. Along his walk, he occasionally paused to look around. Eventually, he just shrugged and sighed.

"I would've thought for sure it was him that Noishe was barking at earlier. Maybe not."

He felt forced to pause as he approached the ranch and one of his exspheres warmed up suddenly, causing him to flinch. Shaking his head, he continued down the path and focused on looking forward. He breathed a sigh of relief as the exsphere calmed and the village came into view. Looking up, he could see someone waving at him from the gate.

"Lloyd! Over here!" a girl's voice called out to him. The swordsman waved back with a wide grin. He jogged up to the gates, nodding at the two men who stood guard. They waved him in with small nods of acknowledgement. The blond girl gave him a quick hug. "Happy birthday, Lloyd! Does it feel any different to be seventeen?" Lloyd rubbed the back of his head with a laugh.

"Not really. I still feel like I won't be on time for school any time soon," he replied. They looked at each other before bursting into laughter at his comment.

"Did your parents come to visit you this morning at all?" The look on Lloyd's face told all she needed to know and she felt guilty about asking. "Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sure they'll visit you soon, Lloyd!"

"I don't know, Colette. Maybe I'll see Mom later but…" He was looking away towards the ground.

"Well, I know your parents care about you a lot, Lloyd! They would be here if they really could. I'm sure they're trying their best to be here," she told him confidently. Her words touched his heart and he gave her a warm smile, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah… You're right. Thanks, Colette."

She giggled, then pulled on his arm. "No problem! Now, let's go! Genis is waiting for us at his house."

Their friend's house wasn't far from the entrance to the village. It was a comfortable wooden home with a small pond out in the front. The house sat on a slightly raised part of the ground and so they had short wooden steps that lead from the path that went through the village up to their front lawn. Colette ran up to the door and knocked. They were quickly greeted by their young silver haired friend.

"Hey guys! Come on in! Raine had some things to do for Phaidra luckily, so she didn't get a chance to do any of the cooking."

* * *

_Will you make it this time around?_ It was something he wondered about every year on his birthday. When he was much younger, his parents had sent him to live with Dirk because they wouldn't be able to care and watch him properly while they were working. Being travelling mercenaries, their jobs had a tendency to keep them away for several days or sometimes weeks at a time. He usually only saw them once a month, and more often than not, it was only his mother he saw. In fact, for the last eight years, it was only his mother who managed to make it back in time for his birthday.

She promised him every time that his father would make it next time and he'd so something to make it up to him. And every time his father would visit at some point, but by then, Lloyd was just happy to see him for once and spend some time with him, even if it was usually only a little. They usually trained when he stopped by, and at night he would share stories about the stars and discuss astrology.

As he sat by the pond in front of Genis' house, he watched the birds flying through the evening sky. He was leaning back on his hands with a thoughtful expression. He was grateful for the day he'd spent with his friends, but it didn't stop the hollow feeling growing in his heart. _Will __**you**_ _even make it today? _This had to be the first time that she hadn't shown up. He was a little worried, wondering if something had happened to her.

Finally, Genis stepped out of the house and walked up to him.

"Sorry about that. Ready to go?"

Lloyd yawned and stretched before standing up. "Yeah! Let's go." They headed out the village gates and into the Iselia forest. The monsters were quiet, watching them from afar as the two boys followed the path. Lloyd noticed Genis glance at the ranch as they passed it, and did his best to ignore the exsphere that warmed up whenever he walked by the establishment. They chatted idly together as they walked.

"So, you really haven't seen your mom yet today?" Genis asked, curious. Lloyd shook his head.

"Not at all. It's the first year she hasn't shown up in the village half way through the day. Maybe one of her jobs is taking longer than she thought." _I hope that's all it is…_, he thought to himself but did his best not to think on it too much. The younger of the pair shrugged.

"You know I've known you for years and I've never met your dad."

Lloyd rubbed the back of his head, grinning. "He really does exist, I swear. His jobs tend to be longer than mom's. Even when he is here to visit, it's never really for long."

Genis lightly tapped his chin. "I guess that's just the life of a mercenary. You sure you don't know why they left you with Dirk? Where were you living before? Were none of the towns safe enough or something?"

The swordsman glanced away uncomfortably. He hated these kinds of questions, questions that spurred memories he had difficulty reaching. He'd seen them in his dreams, his old home, lifeless people with feathered wings, and beings that could control the foggy essence that he could often see hovering in the environment. However, none of his memories were quite clear and he knew that his parents had their reasons for not explaining them.

_"You have to keep it to yourself, Lloyd. Promise me you won't breathe a word about it to anyone."_

He clenched his hands into fists and took a deep breath. He'd have a much easier time of keeping that promise if he actually knew what any of those memories meant.

"I dunno, Genis. Don't forget that they moved me here when I was pretty young, so I don't really remember much about our old home. All I know is that Dirk was a friend of theirs."

The boy shrugged, accepting his reply. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I kind of wonder how they managed to meet though."

_Just one of the many things I wonder myself, Genis…_

They approached the end of the forest when the sounds of a loud whine pierced their thoughts. As they looked down the path, Noishe suddenly ran at them with a happy dog-like smile. Behind him, a slender brown haired woman dressed in a white uniform approached. She waved at the two boys, smiling.

"Nice to see you two again!"

Lloyd smiled adoringly upon seeing her.

"Mom! When did you get here?!" He ran up to her for a hug that she accepted. She rubbed his messy locks of brown hair and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Happy birthday, sweetie! I've only been here for a little while. Dirk told me you were with your friends so I thought I'd come meet you. I'm sorry I'm so late this time around." She stepped back for a moment and her eyes settled on Genis. "Has he been keeping up with his homework like he's supposed to?" Genis laughed while Lloyd paled a little.

"He's as behind as he's always been and he still hasn't shown up to class on time once since the last time we saw you," he answered bluntly. Lloyd looked almost betrayed as he felt his mother's glare settle on him.

"I guess _someone_ needs another talking to about punctuality." She smirked when she saw Lloyd cringe. "Well, I'll walk him home from here. Do you need Noishe to take you home, Genis?" The boy shook his head.

"No thanks! I'll be alright. I'll see you later, Lloyd!" The two boys waved each other good bye, though in the swordsman's case, somewhat regretfully. It was also like this every time his mother appeared. She would appear and ask Genis for a status report on his awful school attendance and terrifyingly bad grades. In his worry and relief at seeing her, he had forgotten about this all too common event. To his surprise, the first thing his mother did when Genis was out of sight was take off his gloves and examine his exspheres. He noticed a strange expression on her face.

"Mom? Is something wrong?"

"Have your exspheres given you any trouble? They seem, well … different." Lloyd bit his lip and went to shake his head. He earned himself a light smack on the ear. "Don't lie to me, Lloyd. This exsphere feels warm. It's been acting up again hasn't it?" The swordsman just looked down at his feet. Accepting his silence as a yes, she clasped one of his hands between both of hers and closed her eyes. Their hands began to glow and Lloyd could feel the familiar sense of mana tightening around the exsphere. This was a relatively common procedure that his mother had performed on him for as long as he could remember. After a few moments, she did the same thing with his other hand.

"I guess Dad's not making it this year as well?" She frowned and shook her head.

"No, sadly. He's wrapped up in one of his jobs again. It isn't set to end for at least another month or so. I managed to speak with him a few weeks ago though. He promised to have a good visit with you as soon as that task is done."

Lloyd simply sighed and nodded in response. She smiled sadly at her son.

"You're disappointed huh?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah but, there's not much either of you can do," he replied with a shrug. "I know that. I'm happy that you could be here though. What made you late?"

She glanced away nervously. "Ah well you know. Small disputes with clients. Nothing too major. Hey, do you want to try sparring? I want to see how much you've grown since last month! Let's head back to Dirk's."

"Uh, sure!"

They weren't far from Dirk's cottage and Noishe went straight to his outdoor pen. His mother retrieved the wooden practice sticks and handed two of them to him.

"Have you told anyone about your exspheres?" she asked as they both got into their stances. Lloyd shook his head.

"I wear those gloves any time I head out to the village."

She nodded approvingly. "What about your name? Has anyone asked about it?" He looked away and shook his head.

"No. I still don't understand why we're letting angels use our family name like that! It's not fair."

Noticing that his guard was down, she ran at him with the stick, but he reacted right away, blocking her strike. She stepped back, smiling.

"Very good. In terms of our family name, it's just the way it is for now. I'm sure once the Regeneration Journey is over, we can go back to using our original last name. For now, we're just using mine."

"I don't get it though! What would a bunch of angels want to do with Dad's last name?" he questioned, anxious to hear answers to the questions he'd been asking her for years. They exchanged a couple of strikes for a few minutes, until she backed up again. Overall, she was relatively happy with his progress it seemed.

"Like I've told you before. It's just the way things are right now. All you have to worry about is making sure you keep your promise to me to keep it to yourself." She took the wooden sticks from him as he sighed, frustrated.

"Yeah… yeah I guess." Seeing him discouraged, she frowned and gave him a pat on the back.

"Never forget, Lloyd. You may not be able to talk to your friends about these things but you can always talk to me, your father or Dirk."

"Sure, but it's not like any of you would really tell me anything," he replied back, pouting. She giggled and rubbed his hair.

"You had dinner at Genis' place right? How about you take Noishe for a walk? It's already dark out, so please be careful."

Lloyd nodded, ensuring that his birthday swords were fastened to his waist. "You got it! Come on, Noishe!" He headed off into the forest with his pet in tow, while his mother went inside the cottage.

The swordsman was completely lost in his thoughts as he walked through the forest. Noishe whined several times to get the boy's attention, but had only earned several distracted pets on his head. Suddenly, the beast stopped walking and growled at something. Lloyd snapped out of his daydreaming and looked around.

"What is it boy? Is something wrong?"

Noishe barked at him before turning and running off quickly. Lloyd just watched the dog creature run, shaking his head.

"What spooked you this time?!" he called out, but didn't hear a reply. With a sigh, he shrugged. "I guess I might as well just head back home. That's probably where he went."

"Or you could stay and chat with me," someone else called out. Lloyd turned in the direction of the voice, to see a short blond boy with green eyes. The boy gave a short wave. "Hello, Lloyd."

The swordsman in red grinned and waved. "Hey Mithos! What's up?"

* * *

**Next**

Chapter 7: We finally realized the true meaning behind goals

_"What do you want with Lloyd, Mithos?"_

* * *

**A/N's: I'm finally done with school... So sorry for how long this took to get out. It's also the longest chapter I've ever posted. I hope you enjoyed it! Updates should be mostly weekly, or worst case bi-weekly! Let me know if you liked it. Till next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: We finally realized the true meaning behind goals**

_"Without turning back, my trembling feet take their first step into tomorrow."_

_ ~ Holy Shine - Daisy x Daisy_

His symptoms only grew worse with each passing week. For the first few weeks, it was easy to hide from his mother, who turned out to be sticking around for longer than usual. It was the first time in years that she had stayed with him for more than just a weekend. While he appreciated finally getting to spend more time with his mother, it made it difficult to hide the problems he was trying to deal with. The very thought of the sadness seeping into her face as she gazed at him in worry bothered him. He couldn't stand seeing her like that, and lately he'd caught that look on her face a couple of times while she was lost in thought.

At the very least, she left a few days ago, promising to return within the week. It gave him a bit more room to breathe in terms of his issues. He had trouble sleeping due to the voice that haunted his dreams, and during the day, he'd occasionally suffer intense drowsiness or dizzy spells. In particular, he'd noticed that standing near Raine or Genis while they were practicing magic made him severely dizzy and thus, had been avoiding their practice sessions. If the others noticed, they didn't say anything about it, though Colette did seem to send him worried glances more often lately.

Even now as they went over astrology in class, he found himself drifting to sleep. He tried with all his might to keep his eyes open, especially for the one subject in school that he actually enjoyed. Sadly, the next thing he was aware of was someone lightly shaking his shoulder, and three voices calling out his name. He opened his heavy eyes and froze upon seeing Professor Raine. However, she seemed more concerned than angry with him.

"Lloyd, are you sure you're alright?" She moved to put a hand to the boy's forehead but he leaned back and nodded.

"Yeah, ah, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping well lately," he replied with his usual chuckle. It didn't do much to appease his friends though.

"Maybe you're coming down with cold…?" Colette suggested worriedly. Genis shrugged as Raine sighed.

"If it gets worse, make sure you come see me Lloyd. Perhaps some fresh air will help you for now," Raine told him. All three kids nodded in agreement.

"We could eat outside for lunch today."

Colette smiled. "That's a great idea, Genis! Come on, Lloyd."

They gathered up their lunch boxes and headed outside the school building. Lloyd focused on trying to walk straight while paying attention to his surroundings. If he was already starting to look sick, he needed to at least avoid acting like it when he could. They sat together on a patch of grass under some trees.

The town was bustling with activity. People walked about, chatting about this and that as children ran about playing games. Upon them leaving the school, several villagers had begun to approach them. However, Lloyd couldn't help but realize how much better his hearing was today. His vision swayed as words flooded his ears. It was nearly impossible to differentiate between them until his mind caught up and slowly began to sort it out. He struggled against the nausea that threatened to overtake him and shoved some of his lunch into his mouth.

"...hear about Luin...?"

" Some were saved …"

"There was a messenger… sometime in the morning …"

" … raving about wings!"

"... told you the Aurions are real."

Rumors had been circulating for years that angels calling themselves the ancestors of the Aurions were going around and performing miracles. Illnesses and injuries cured, masses of monsters defeated, people rescued from ranch raids… the rumors went on. Many believed there to be several angels, while some believed there to be only one or two. Some stated the angel was male, others claimed the angel was female. Very few had claimed to see two angels at the same time. Regardless, people viewed this as proof of their coming salvation.

Already, as Lloyd looked up from his meal after trying to sort out his hearing, Colette had been surrounded by villagers. She smiled at all of them as they went on and on about the angels saving the people and thanked her for her prayers and dedication.

_Aurion…_ Hearing the name all over the place didn't ease his frustrations with the knowledge that it was supposed to be _his_ last name. It belonged to his family. He didn't care if his parents did come from a line of angels, it wasn't fair that they had been forced to go under a different name. But why _that_ name? He couldn't help wanting to know, but his parents were impossible to approach on the subject. It was always _'just the way it was'_. An answer that answered nothing at all.

Lunch sped by sooner than he thought, and before he knew it, they were back in class. Had he zoned out again? He had recalled talking to Genis about something, and Colette was delayed returning to class since she had been appeasing the villagers' needs for attention. He looked up at the board as Raine wrote down their next topic for the rest of the day.

_The Great Hero Mithos._

His vision swayed again, and his head felt heavy. _Damn it_. He actually wanted to pay attention to this. Raine mentioned that they would be going over the topic for the rest of the week at least.

_Maybe Mithos will know something… they share the same name after all_, he thought to himself, strangely sure about it. It was his last thought as he drifted into an irresistible sleep with the back of his gloved hands burning fiercely.

* * *

She didn't plan on being gone for long. After sticking around Dirk's place for about two months, she decided to check something out in the Welgaian library before the lull in her duties came to an end. It was only a few days away now, and while she had enjoyed her vacation from the silent comet, she and Kratos still had a duty to research information about the Eternal Sword. Sadly, having to walk most places and restrict flying only to remote locations at night time slowed her down quite a bit. Her journey had taken over a week, though a normal group would've taken over a month if they knew the correct shortcuts. Luckily, there were hidden warps in some places that allowed her to move across the continent quickly, and flying at night without sleeping helped a bunch. She still wished to get this over with sooner.

She sighed, stepping off the warp pad and walking through the halls of Welgaia. Something was wrong with Lloyd and whatever it was constantly seemed to interfere with her seals. Shortly after they sent Lloyd to Sylvarant as a child, she had learned about exsphere compression techniques from a few research manuals. These techniques made use of the caster's own mana in order to repress the negative and positive effects of an exsphere. Due to the reduction in benefits, research towards these techniques were quickly dropped, especially since they also aided in slowing the growth of an exsphere. The seals had been the only way to stop him from getting worse since they could no longer remove either exsphere. Losing their communication with Yuan had been rather detrimental to them and had allowed them both to miss all of the warning signs. So instead, Anna had always been the one to maintain their son's seals, until he could control the power of the two exspheres without them eating away at him but still letting the gems maintain the balance of the boy's unstable mana structure.

Regardless, over the past 6 years or so, the seals started wearing off much more quickly. Lloyd never seemed to know why and if he was feigning innocence, then she would have to admit, he was good. However, it just didn't seem likely. Lloyd hated being sick almost as much as he hated tomatoes.

She opened the door to the library, rubbing her head but paused once she glanced around the room. Her heart dropped and her eyes widened as she noticed several shelving units had been smashed in while loose pages and book covers lay among the carnage. It had only been one row of shelves but her shoulders slumped in disappointment regardless.

"All those years of organizing and separating what books had what information…," she muttered to herself, depressed. She rolled up her sleeves and wandered over lifelessly to the mess, picking up strewn papers along the way. It had to have been the part she hadn't finished going through yet of course. This was the exact section she had stored books that needed to be searched through. Now, most of them were likely destroyed. "Might as well clean this up while I'm here."

She spent a few hours picking up the sheets of papers, and moving any surviving books to other shelves. She frowned in displeasure as she noticed that some pages had been torn to pieces, and some books soaked or singed. _Was using magic on a bunch of harmless books really that necessary?_ She thought it was ridiculous at first, until something else occurred to her. It would have been absolutely necessary if they possibly… She suddenly looked down at all of the neat pages in her hands and tossed them to the side.

Dropping to her knees, she began searching for damaged pages and scanning whatever readable contents she could, trying to contain her excitement so that she didn't miss anything. Some pages were in Elven and she couldn't understand them too well, but Kratos had taught her a few of the important words to look out for. Then finally, after a while of searching, she'd found something that might help them. Something about a ring in relation to Origin and the Eternal sword.

_Kratos… I need Kratos to fully translate this!_ She thought to herself excitedly. However, she had no idea where he was at the moment. With the time approaching so quickly, he should be near Iselia by now, she supposed. Folding the page into one of her pockets, she ran out of the library, only to once again stop in her tracks. She froze at the sight of a blue haired half-elf wandering towards the Sylvarant warp.

_What could he want in Sylvarant…? He was tasked with watching over things in Tethe'alla. _Momentarily forgetting what she had found, she focused on silently tracking her target. No matter what remained of the relationship between her husband and that man, she didn't trust him. Even though they owed him their son's life – and troubles – she could not bring herself to trust him. Not after the threats he'd made.

And certainly not after what he promised would have to happen.

She had to hand it to him, he was quick, and difficult to follow. She had to maintain her distance and rely on her angelic hearing, knowing that he would be listening for someone following as well. The strangest thing was that he had warped himself to the Ossa Trail, then walked all the way to Triet. While she couldn't feel the heat all that well, it still irritated her. It was midday and the sunlight was strong against her skin. It didn't help that she had to maintain an even greater distance in the desert, as it wasn't really the best terrain to secretly follow someone in.

_Why not just teleport straight to Triet? Why bother teleporting way out here then walking?_ She nibbled the bottom of her lip. _Does he already realize that he's being followed?_ The question gnawed at her as the man finally reached Triet. He stopped to speak to a shop keeper, running his hands through his hair and smiling. Then, he waved, walking off into an alley way. Anna followed after a moment but cursed as she turned the corner.

Yuan had vanished.

* * *

It was late evening as he set himself up to train with his swords. He rested his equipment on the grass by the edge of a small lake. He was only a short walk away from home. Normally, Noishe would have come with him, but the creature had strangely gone to sleep early. His head still felt heavy, and occasionally felt dizzy and rather warm, but he refused to skip a night of training. He shook his head in an attempt to stabilize his vision, then made sure his gloves were on properly. Satisfied with his setup, he performed a series of movements and swings with his swords.

He hadn't been training for long before he felt and saw the shift in mana in the air around him. He paused, looking around curiously, until a familiar blonde boy stepped out from the darkness of the trees. Lloyd gave the boy a weak smile, feeling his symptoms quickly worsen. _Damn it… why have I only been feeling this way around Genis, Raine and Mithos?_ He did his best to hide what he was feeling. Mithos waved a greeting in reply.

"Training tonight again?"

The swordsman chuckled and nodded. "Why do you think I'm out here? I have to show my Dad I've improved the next time he comes by to visit." Forcing himself to brush off the oncoming waves of dizziness, he practiced a few more swings but mentally cursed. His swings were awfully sloppy. His friend raised an eyebrow but leaned against a nearby tree and said nothing. Lloyd took a deep breath and lowered his weapons. "Have you heard the story about Mithos the Hero?" An expression of surprise registered on Mithos' face. After a moment, Lloyd laughed to himself and grinned. "Of course you have, since you share the same name right? Were you named after him?"

"A-ah… Y-yeah, I guess you could say that," the blonde stuttered and looked away. "You haven't … told anyone about me, have you? That you know someone named after the Hero."

Lloyd smiled at him, shaking his head. "Not at all. I promised you, didn't I? I wouldn't tell anyone about you until you were ready. I still think you should meet the Sages at least. Genis would be pretty happy to meet another elf close to his age."

"It isn't really the best time right now. You haven't told your parents about me either?"

"Nope, though Mom's been suspicious lately."

"Why? You go out to train every day. It's not like you've deviated from your usual schedule."

Lloyd chuckled nervously and shrugged. He froze in surprise and worry when the burning on his hands suddenly intensified. He dropped his swords and fell to his knees. His jaw was clenched tightly as he tried to hold back his cries of pain.

_"Did you really think she could keep a part of you locked away for good?"_

"Honestly, you impress me, Lloyd."

His vision was fuzzy and his senses were being overloaded. He could no longer feel the cool evening air, yet he could hear the crunch of leaves from monsters walking through the forest. However, he couldn't determine which voice belonged to who. Was he talking? _There's no way… my mouth is closed… isn't it? _He wasn't sure anymore. He tried to push himself up but was too disoriented to figure it out. _Am I lying down?_

"For a human, I'm surprised at your loyalty. You promised your parents that you would hide those exspheres, and you have. You promised me, foolishly, to keep my presence a secret and you have. I thought by now you'd have betrayed me, just like Kratos did."

Something was pulling at his gloves. He tried to clench his hands against the pain. The world hadn't gone completely dark yet, he could still some blades and bushes of green. _Grass…? _

_"Stop resisting. Pull out your wings. Why do you pretend they don't exist?" _

_"Leave him alone. I won't let you control him."_

"I wish I could've had time to ask you some more interesting questions but I suppose I'll find my answer when the Chosen finally reaches the Tower of Salvation."

His sense of touch returned at once and far too quickly. He was freezing, likely from the combination of being outside and sweaty. His hands were ungloved and something was fiddling with the exspheres on his hands. _I have to get my gloves back on… but why did they come off?_

"Would you sacrifice one life in order to save the lives of many? Or would you sacrifice the world to save that one life?"

He heard the sound of clinking metal and felt something being pulled off the back of his hand. His heart beat loudly in his chest and he shivered violently. _What the … _His mind went blank as hot, white pain surged through him. He couldn't tell if he was screaming but he wanted to.

When the pain finally eased and his senses calmed down, he was vaguely aware of someone chuckling and muttering under their breath. He tried to open his eyes to figure out who it was, but he quickly realized that he couldn't move. His muscles refused to respond so his thoughts. Was he dreaming? He heard footsteps approaching and the chuckling ceased. Whoever was there began to speak but exhaustion claimed him before he hear what was going on.

* * *

Every muscle in his rigid body wanted to run to his son to find out what was wrong. His parental side was in turmoil but he forced himself to keep calm. While Mithos may not be the most stable person, they had a deal and it was a deal that worked in the angel lord's favor. He wouldn't ruin his best chance at peacefully retrieving a fully evolved Angelus Crystal. Therefore, Lloyd would be fine. _He better be…_ Deciding to acknowledge his presence, Mithos straightened and stepped away from Lloyd's still form. Kratos narrowed his eyes when he spotted the gently glowing exspheres on his son's ungloved hands.

"What do you want with Lloyd, Mithos?"

He smirked. "Just doing a routine check on the exsphere's progress. It's not my fault you don't give me enough information to work with every year."

Kratos' wine colored eyes flashed dangerously. "You seem to be up to a bit more than just a routine check. How long have you been doing this?"

"Long enough to get what I need. I haven't forgotten our deal. He's fine. He's been knocked out since the exspheres started reacting. I just wanted to check what was causing it," the blonde replied, nonchalantly waving a hand in the air and laughing lightly. He turned his back to the humans and began to walk towards the forest. He paused. "Speaking of our little deal, don't forget that I recently specified that Lloyd must go with you on the Journey of Regeneration, Kratos."

Kratos clenched his fists, walking as calmly as he could to Lloyd's side. "Is delivering the Angelus Crystal to you after the journey not enough?" He frowned noticing that Lloyd was sweating and shivering in the night air. Touching the back of his hand to the boy's forehead, it was obvious he had a fever. The symptoms reminded him of when Lloyd used to get sick as a child.

"Lloyd will go on the journey. No exceptions. Refuse my orders, and consider his life forfeit. Am I understood?"

The ancient swordsman was glad Mithos couldn't see his face at the moment. His jaw was clenched tightly and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Understood."

Mithos smiled and walked off into the forest, his melodic laughter creepily echoing over the sounds of the night forest. Kratos sighed to himself and examined the exspheres. The Angelus Crystal was surrounded by a gentle blue light, but the Cruxis Crystal had a dark glow around it. As he ran his fingers over them, they suddenly calmed and returned to their dormant looking state. While Lloyd still seemed to be unconscious, he re-gloved the boy's hands, then put his fingers to his lips and blew a shrill whistle sound. It was only a few minutes later when Noishe jumped out from the darkness of the forest with a bark. He loaded his son onto the protozoan's back, and gathered the swords lying on the ground.

Kratos kept an eye on Lloyd's condition while they walked back to the house. At some point during their walk, the swordsman noticed a small glow under Lloyd's glove. The exspheres were reacting again. Noishe whined quietly at him.

"Lloyd ran into Mithos it seems…," he told the beast who appeared to glance at him skeptically and barked twice. His large ears wiggled.

"Mithos has been talking to him, hasn't he?" Noishe nodded and yipped in response. Kratos sighed.

"I wish I knew exactly what he was up to myself, Noishe. Unless Lloyd tells us what's going on, all we can do is protect him until we can end this."

The dog-like animal whined sadly.

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry too much."

* * *

Kratos wandered outside as observed the night forest. It wasn't long before the person he sensed nearby appeared from the darkness. She smiled upon sighting him.

"Kratos! Thank goodness you're here! Here take a look at this!" She shoved a torn page into his hands, pointing bits of elven text. He paused for a moment, quickly reading it over before his eyes widened. He gently took the page from her and read through it carefully once more.

"Where did you find this?"

"On the floor in a destroyed corner of the Welgaian library among other destroyed pages and books." Kratos gave her a strange look before she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, you probably guessed it. _Some_ mage had a crazy fit."

"It's a miracle that you managed to find this. The text seems to be describing something similar to the Ring of the Pact. Hm. These materials will be difficult to obtain… we'll have to look into where to get them."

Anna sighed again. "Damn it. We're running out of time. We can't really look into this until after the journey but we can't just let Colette die!"

Kratos folded the page and cupped his chin as he closed his eyes. "You can leave the Chosen to me. I'm more worried about you and Lloyd."

"We'll be fine. I'll make sure that we leave by noon tomorrow. That should give us enough time. We'll hide in Tethe'alla." She looked up at her husband as he rested a hand on her shoulder with a worried expression on his face.

"Please be careful. I discovered that Mithos has been monitoring Lloyd."

She gasped. "What?! How did you… how long?!" Kratos shook his head.

"I don't know. He claimed to be checking on Lloyd's exspheres but-"

"So it was _him_." Anna was shaking in both fear and anger. "Remember how I've been telling you that Lloyd's expsheres have been strange lately? I thought it was just over the past year… but it might have been longer. Mithos may have been trying to remove his seals."

Kratos frowned and slowly nodded. "Hmm. Perhaps he's been keeping a closer eye on him than we thought."

Anna sighed. "If he damaged the seals again, then Lloyd probably isn't feeling well right now. I can take care of that. Are you already leaving?" When Kratos nodded, she added, "Keep an eye out for Yuan. When I was leaving Welgaia, I spotted him warping to Sylvarant. I followed him from the Ossa Trail into Triet but I lost him in the city."

"Why would he teleport to the Ossa Trail, then walk to Triet?" Kratos wondered aloud.

The woman shrugged in exasperation. "Exactly! I've been trying to figure that out the whole way here and I can't make sense of it." She shook her head. "Anyway, where's Lloyd? Sleeping?"

"Trying to, I believe."

"I better seal them again." She hugged her husband quickly and stepped back. "Be careful. Find us as soon as you can… Promise?" Kratos nodded and lightly kissed her on the forehead.

"I promise."

* * *

He was exhausted and terribly distracted. In his attempts to make sense of what exactly had happened after he passed out from training the night before, he had only confused himself more. He remembered talking to Mithos, then he was on the ground hearing several voices talking, but he couldn't tell who the voices belonged to, he distinctly remembered there being a familiar sounding feminine voice. Next, he woke up in his room and his hands felt hot.

"Lloyd Irving, wake up!"

Blurred visions of his father's face appeared in his memory, but he couldn't tell if they were dream-like memories or not. However, once he woke up this morning, feeling sweaty and drained as though he hadn't slept at all, his mother was sitting in the kitchen of the cottage having returned from her sudden trip and stated that they'd be going somewhere later that day. His eyes felt heavy and his body swayed slightly, causing the water in the buckets to splash around the edges. _Just what is going on?_

"…Lloyd!"

He coughed and sputtered after a flying chalk eraser collided with his face. His eyes drearily peeled open as he looked around in confusion. The room was utterly silent except for Professor Raine's approaching steps. She shook her head at him.

"How do you manage to sleep standing?" There were hints of curiousity and annoyance in her tone.

"Ah, Professor Raine! Is… is class over?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head, she sighed and waved him off. "Never mind. We'll just have someone else answer the question. Genis…"

Lloyd leaned back and frowned. _Mithos… _Mithos the Hero and the Kharlan War were topics in class today once again, he realized. He tuned into the lecture again at the mention of the Desians.

"Remember that when the seals weaken, the Desians reappear just like they have now. Today is the Day of Prophecy. It is a very important day in which the Chosen of Mana will receive an oracle from the Goddess Martel."

The swordsman in red watched as the professor called upon his other friend, Colette, the Chosen of Mana. She happily answered the question for the professor but he caught her winking at him just before she returned to her seat.

_"Would you sacrifice one life in order to save the lives of many? Or would you sacrifice the world to save that one life?" _

The words rang clearly in his mind and he frowned. Wasn't that something someone had said last night? _But… who? Whose voice was it?_ He focused on trying to piece together his thoughts from last night. Mithos had been the one there when he collapsed right? Could those words have come from him?

He glanced at Colette worriedly. If she were to embark on the Journey of Regeneration and save the world, she would become an angel. However, that didn't mean she wouldn't be able to return to Iselia did it? She would come back home for sure.

"Now, for the next question – ," Professor Raine began when a bright white light burst through the village.

"What is…," Lloyd whispered.

Colette stood in awe. "That's…"

The light faded and the children chattered with each other with a mix of surprise, confusion and awe.

"Settle down. It would seem that the time for the oracle has come."

* * *

_Next: _

_Chapter 8: It's not like we got used to giving up_

_"Orders for capture have been issued for Lloyd Irving. What are your orders?"_

* * *

**A/N's: I'm sorry this is so late! I've been busy preparing for a convention which I am leaving for tomorrow morning... but I had to get this up before I left! The setup chapters are finally over and the ball starts rolling! Thank you to everyone who reviewed~ I will do my best to have the next chapter up soon! (And I'll try to keep my profile more up-to-date on chapter progress). Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! **

**Till next time! **

**L-F**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: It's not like we got used to giving up

_"Bad things happen, and you can't do anything about them." - Timon_

"What?!" Anna exclaimed as she burst through the front door of the dwarf's home, carrying her equipment and backpack of traveling supplies. She stared in horrified shock as the light of the Oracle sparkled brilliantly in the sky from the temple beyond the village. Noishe was barking frantically. "This wasn't supposed to happen for a few more hours at least!"

Dirk gave her light pat on the back. "If ya leave now, ya still won't be pursued for a while yet. If anythin', it should be easier to escape amongst the excitement." Anna nibbled on the bottom of her lip but agreed nonetheless.

"Probably. I'm going to head out to the village for now. I'll be back for Noishe."

"Take care," the dwarf replied as she jogged into the Iselia forest, her heart hammering against her chest. _Did they already catch on? Why did they send it earlier than we were told?_ It was still early in the afternoon, so the students in the school must have just finished their lunch period. Raine would've told them to study and the priests would come for Colette. Thus, Lloyd would still be in class. She paused in her running and frowned. _Would he really sit around though…_, she thought to herself.

Her ears twitched as they picked up the sounds of movement. Anna silently ducked behind a tree and waited for a few moments. People dressed like Desians were marching down the path of the forest towards the village. She examined them with narrowed eyes. There were nine of them plus their leader, of whom Anna immediately recognized and reached for her weapons on sight. _Renegade Botta…! _Unaware of her presence, the small group walked passed the section of trees she was hiding behind.

_Why are they here? Where did they come from? _The light that continued to sparkle above the temple reminded her of the situation and she rested a hand against her chin. _The Oracle… are they here for Colette? But if they go right to the village and Lloyd is with her then…_ She withdrew her sword and stepped out onto the path.

"This is as far as you go, Renegade Botta!" she called out and the group spun around in surprise. The spiky brown haired leader's jaw clenched.

"I didn't realize you were already here. However, I don't have the time to keep you entertained. You three!" He pointed at a small bunch of his minions. "Maintain her position here. As for the rest of you…" he threw his fist up to his shoulder with his thumb pointing behind him. He turned to walk away with the rest of his squad. Anna ran forward, prepared to strike but was parried by one of the guards who stayed behind. She lightly jumped backwards to put some space between herself and her opponents. By the time she managed to attempt to look over them, Botta and the remainder of his followers were bolting towards Iselia.

"Tch," she muttered as she bit her bottom lip. _I can't let them get to Lloyd, but I certainly can't just leave these guys here._ She straightened and moved into a fighting stance. The other three refused to make the first move, causing her to stall unless she went for them first. She observed her surroundings, trying to feel out any other people. She smirked when she concluded that they were alone for at least a mile. As she sheathed her sword, the three renegades tensed and pointed their weapons at her. She pulled out her bow and unfurled her wings.

"Sorry for this, but I can't be held up here any longer."

* * *

Lloyd peaked out the door of the school but was quickly pulled back by Genis. Villagers ran back into their homes in a panic as a small group of Desians burst through the town. The three children watched tensely as the villains appeared in sight. However, they didn't stop running. They passed right through Iselia without talking to or shoving a single person. Regardless, Lloyd frowned, disturbed by their abrupt passing.

"That has to be a violation of the treaty. They can't just run through the village like that," he told his silver haired friend who looked fearfully out one of the windows with Colette. He turned back to his friend, shaking.

"Lloyd. Raine said she was heading to the temple… Isn't that the only thing passed Iselia?"

Colette grasped. "And grandma! Grandma said she would be at the Temple of Martel today helping the priests! We have to help them!"

Lloyd nodded. "And as the Chosen, you need to receive the Oracle right? I have my swords and Genis has magic. We can take on a couple of Desians." He peaked out the door again and looked around. Seeing it clear, he motioned for his friends to follow him. "Let's go!" Feeling determined they nodded in agreement with him, following him outside the school and towards the Iselia gate. Colette's father approached them.

"Colette!" The group turned towards him. "Thank goodness you're safe! You boys should return to the school. It's not safe out here. There may be more Desians coming," Frank instructed.

"But what about Iselia's non-aggression treaty?" Genis exclaimed, confused with their intentions. Frank shrugged.

"All we can do right now is hope they leave us alone. Phaidra is at the temple with the priests, so she should be alright. I wouldn't worry." The man did not seem convinced of his own words, nor did those words convince his daughter. "Now, Colette-"

"I know, Father. I must fulfill my duty as the Chosen," Colette replied with as much determination as she could muster. Frank watched her cautiously, looking as though he wanted to say more. He appeared to be unable to decide on what to tell her until he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Right. Good luck, Colette." He looked to Genis and Lloyd. "It's probably best if you two return home."

Lloyd shook his head. "I can't let Colette go to the temple on her own, especially if there are Desians nearby. I'll go with her."

Genis nodded as well. "Me too."

Frank looked surprised, relieved and even more worried all at once. "I...But-ah…" He paused, considering the situation, then gave the three of them a small smile. "All right. Thank you. I'll be waiting at the house. Please return immediately if anything happens."

He turned away and walked towards his home after the three of them acknowledged his request. As he left, Lloyd turned to his two friends.

"Ready? Let's go save Phaidra and Raine!"

Together they set off towards the village's northern entrance. As a zombie monster approached them, Lloyd drew his wooden swords.

"Well we're off to a great start…," he stated sarcastically, wishing he'd been allowed to bring his bladed swords into the village.

"The northern region where the temple is located was supposed to be a sanctuary! Where did it come from?" Genis questioned as he pulled out his kendama.

"It must be a part of Martel's trial. The trial involves battling monsters!" Colette took hold of her chakrams.

"We don't have time. We'll just have to take out the monsters we run into. Let's go!" Lloyd stated.

Genis held up his weapon with a smirk. "Roger!"

* * *

Anna dissolved her wings and hid high up in a tree, listening for movements nearby. She couldn't deny that these goons were not just your run of the mill Renegades. They were trained to deal with Cruxis angels and they were trained _well_. As soon as she had begun gearing up her first assault, which she had hoped would wipe them out to begin with, they had scattered into the woods, taking shelter under the trees. Elemental arrows had pierced nothing but dirt and tree bark while her opponents had moved into some form of stealth mode. She had difficulty hearing them and picking up on their location. Thus, their battle had turned into a lengthy waiting game, which frustrated her to no end. She chewed lightly on her bottom lip.

_Botta will have already reached the Temple by now and Colette could be there or she could still be in the village... but I can't just lead them straight to Colette or Lloyd either. _She withdrew her sword slowly and focused all of her attention on her opponents. Taking a gamble, she jumped down from the tree, then quickly thrust her sword in the direction of a small shuffling sound. With a gasp, one Renegade fell backwards in their attempt to avoid being skewered. Anna grabbed them by the front of their vest and paused as she sighed and lowered her sword. In a fluid motion, she released the Renegade, moved her hand in front of their face, and gently released a bit of mana. "Sleep."

The effect of her spell was immediately apparent as the guard slumped back to the ground, unconscious. She sheathed her sword but took the Renegade's weapon and waved it around to test its weight. She shrugged.

"You're lucky it's me you ran into. My husband wouldn't have bothered to spare your lives. Regardless, I can't stay here any longer." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and focused hard on drawing in the mana she needed. "Sacred powers, cast thy purifying light upon these misguided souls! Judgement!"

Immediately after completing her cast, she regretted her decision and cursed loudly as pillars of light burst through the air randomly striking areas in the forest. Though the spell ended as quickly as it had come, it had exhausted her and left rather obvious damage in many parts of the forest.

"Kratos will not be pleased with that decision," she berated herself. _The only ones who would have noticed that would be the Desians themselves. Anyone in the village should be effectively distracted by the Oracle. I hope._

She clutched her head and leaned against a nearby tree that had avoided the assault. She took a deep breath and drew on her strength to feel out the lifeforms remaining in the forest. While she couldn't tell where they were, the other Renegades were miraculously still alive but weakened. Feeling satisfied with the outcome, Anna began to slowly drag herself to Iselia, praying that Botta hadn't left her anymore acquaintances to entertain.

* * *

Together the three of them climbed the steps to the shining temple. Their hearts were heavy at the death of one of the priests, but they were also determined to set this situation right. They had a task to ensure that Colette was safe, not only as a way of securing the world's only hope but also as her friends. The sounds of fighting had seemingly come to a pause. The trio reached the top at the same time and froze. Phaidra glanced at them, horrified at their arrival as four uniformed men glared her down.

"Where is the Chosen?" demanded the tallest one. He was only one of the three who wasn't wearing a helm and visor. His voice was deep and his brown spiky hair practically defied gravity. Phaidra ignored the men before her, focusing on her granddaughter and taking a few steps back.

"Run, Colette!"

One of the guards looked over his shoulder then nudged the middle guy.

"Lord Botta, there she is!"

Botta turned around, and rested a hand on his hip as his eyes rested on Colette. Genis reached for his kendama and Lloyd reached for his swords.

"Chosen One. Your life is mine."

A small gasp escaped from the blonde girl's mouth. Lloyd angrily stepped in front of her.

"I won't let you Desians get away with anything!" He tried his best not to flinch as his exspheres heated up again, though this time felt a little different. He felt like energy was building up, making him stronger. The uniformed men chuckled, irritating Genis.

"What's so funny?"

They shrugged and withdrew their weapons.

"Well. Fall at the hands of the Desians that you hate!"

Three of the men charged, the spiky haired one crossing his arms and staying in place. Lloyd got into his stance and nodded at Genis who began to prepare a spell. Colette took out her chakrams.

The fight was over swiftly. Their weapons clashed and neither side seemed to have the upper hand of the other. Once Genis' spells started making contact, it was clear that the uniformed men were on the losing side. It didn't take long for Botta to call in a substitute. A huge hulking warrior approached them, pausing only to nod at a quiet instruction from the brown haired man. Said man gave Lloyd a strange look, causing the boy to raise an eyebrow in confusion. He was quickly forced to focus on the mace wielding beast approaching them, waving the weapon around in the air menacingly.

"Do not get in our way."

Another fight began, but the trio found themselves rapidly losing ground until they found themselves back to back, cornered and at risk of taking a dangerous hit. Lloyd fell to his knees, unable to handle the fog constantly swirling around them from Genis casting his spells earlier. He felt tired and dizzy as he leaned against his sword. They tensed, prepared to take a fatal hit when there was a loud _clang_ and the beastly guard was about to lose his footing. Next thing they knew was the guard was down and the scent of burnt flesh hung in the air.

They looked up in confusion to see a swordsman in purple armor with a bright red sword glaring down at Botta and his goonies. Botta glanced between Lloyd, Colette and the newcomer before frowning and backing off.

"I figured you would show eventually. Retreat for now! We're no match for him."

Caught off guard by the sudden change of plans, the trio watched in awe as the guards high tailed it from the temple. Lloyd slowly stood as Kratos healed them individually.

"Dad! What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked as he sheathed weapons.

"Getting you out of trouble apparently. Regardless, I should be asking you the very same question. Why aren't you at school? I highly doubt your mother knows you're here."

The young swordsman in question froze and found himself tongue-tied due to a lack of excuses. Genis couldn't help but chuckle while side glancing his friend. Luckily, Colette spoke for him.

"Ah I'm sorry, Mr. Irving!" Kratos visibly flinched and Colette bowed apologetically. "Lloyd and Genis came here to help protect me since no one else in the village could at the time."

Phaidra walked towards the group with a smile. "How can I ever thank you all for protecting the Chosen?"

Lloyd smiled mischievously. "Nothing bad will happen to Colette as long as we're around!"

Colette giggled in response before gasping and clapping her hands together. "That's right! I have to accept the Oracle! Grandmother, I'm going to undergo the trial now," she stated as she turned to face Phaidra. Lloyd leaned to one side.

"What trial?"

"The monsters, I assume. An evil presence radiates from inside this chapel," Kratos replied. Phaidra nodded.

"That is correct. The Chosen is to receive judgement from heaven. But the priests that were to accompany her fell at the hands of the Desians."

_Filthy lies from a filthy cultist._ Lloyd resisted the urge to flinch at the sound of the dream like voice. The exspheres were getting warm again, but not too terribly. He flashed a grin and stood with both hands on his waist.

"Then I'll take on the job of protecting Colette!"

Everyone seemed to react differently to his foreseen statement. Colette smiled brightly, clearly pleased with his suggestion, while Phaidra frowned a little, obviously uncomfortable with the idea. Genis sighed and Kratos held a sigh back by closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. Phaidra was the first to speak up.

"…Lloyd? I would be … worried if it was just you. Mr. Irving, you're a mercenary like Ms. Anna if I'm correct?"

"Indeed, I am. As long as you can pay me, I'll accept the job of guarding the Chosen," Kratos replied while crossing his arms. Lloyd stared at his father dumbfounded though the elder woman was obviously relieved.

"Under the circumstances, I have little choice. Please be of service."

"It's a deal, then."

"W-wait, Dad, you just got back and you're taking another job? Besides, what about me? I'm going too!" the swordsman in red exclaimed, not wanting to be left behind. The older warrior shook his head in response.

"You should be going back home. You do realize your mother is probably looking for you, don't you?"

Lloyd stuttered over his words for a moment, slightly fearing the hell his mother would give him if she knew what he was doing. However, he wanted to help Colette and prove to his Dad that he could handle challenges like this. Thus, he straightened himself and grinned widely.

"You can send me home if you want, but I'll follow you guys in anyway."

The two of them locked eyes. It seemed like minutes passed before Colette stepped in between them.

"Ah, Mr. Irvi-?"

"Kratos. Please."

"Oh, alright. Mr. Kratos, would it be okay to take Lloyd along, too?" Seeing he was about to hesitantly refuse, she interrupted him. "Please. I get nervous when Lloyd's not around."

The man's shoulders lowered in defeat and with a sigh, he shrugged. "Do as you wish."

Phaidra bowed to them respectfully. "I shall await your return at the village. We can finalize the details there," she told them before she turned and wobbled down the steps.

Lloyd cheered. "Great! Come on, Genis!"

The half-elf looked up at his friend in surprise. "What? I'm going too?"

"Yeah, let's go, Genis! It'll be fun!" Colette grabbed the boy's hand and they strode into the temple together, closely followed by father and son. Lloyd glanced at Kratos.

"So, is there any chance of not telling Mom about this?" He felt hopeful at the sympathetic expression on his father's face.

"… Let's try to get this over with quickly and perhaps we can get away with it."

Lloyd chuckled and lightly fist bumped his shoulder. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

"You're such a little kid, Lloyd," Genis stated disapprovingly as Lloyd placed the Sorcerer's ring on his gloved finger. "Don't you think it'll fit better if you take the glove off?"

"Nah, it fits fine as it is. Huh. I wonder what this thing d—whoa!" The three children jumped when a small ball of fire flew out of the ring then vanished into the air. Lloyd was the first to recover. "Cool! I wonder what else this thing does."

"It probably has something to do with that barrier we spotted earlier. Let's go back to the entrance," Genis suggested. The others agreed and walked back, fighting off monsters along the way. Kratos walked a few steps ahead with Colette, making sure the area was safe. Meanwhile a few steps behind them, Genis nudged Lloyd.

"Hey, Lloyd. What's that crystal thing your Dad is wearing?"

"That's an exsphere. They're used to make you stronger. Mom has one too I'm pretty sure, but hers looks a little different."

"Oh really? How come you never got one?"

Lloyd rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, now more aware of the warm gems behind his gloves. "Ah well, I guess they're kind of hard to come by. Apparently, usually only Desians and mercenaries use them."

"Lloyd?" Colette called. They had arrived at the barrier.

Lloyd raised his hand and pointed the ring at mana barrier. Lightly touching the magic ring, a small ball of fire broke through the barrier, causing it to disappear. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Man, is that all this thing does?"

Genis sighed. "You get bored so easily."

Beyond the barrier was a simple glowing warp. One by one, they teleported into the altar of the temple. In the center of the room was a glowing platform, where a Cruxis Crystal remained.

"This appears to be the top floor," Kratos commented.

"Yes," Colette replied. "That's the altar." Lloyd and Genis looked around the room in awe.

Suddenly, a part of the ceiling began to glow, causing the younger boys to shield their eyes. Slowly, a ball of light descended then grew into a human form. As the light faded, a blonde haired man with white wings and priest like clothes hovered above the altar, looking down on their group. He eyed each of them carefully, but when his eyes fell on Lloyd, they stayed for a moment longer than necessary. Kratos frowned, but it went unnoticed by the younger swordsman, who continued to stare in awe while gripping his hands.

"So… is that Colette's real father?" Genis whispered to his awestruck friend, while Colette stepped forward.

"I am Remiel," the angel began. "I am an angel of judgement. The time has come to awaken the Goddess Martel, who sleeps at the center of the world."

Genis nudged Lloyd again. "It's just like the legend Raine told us about," he whispered excitedly and Lloyd nodded mutely in response. The Cruxis Crystal began to float before hovering over to Colette, who embraced it. It glowed brightly before attaching itself to her chest.

"From this moment, Colette becomes the Chosen of Regeneration. We of Cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant." He raised his hand with his palm facing an open window. Lloyd and Genis turned to look outside, and gasped.

Out in the distance, a great tower that rose high into the sky had appeared.

* * *

Anna lightly tapped her finger against her arm, leaning on the railing that lead to the Brunel household in Iselia. Weary and exhausted from her fight in the forest, she had come here to ask Frank where the children were. To her horror, they had gone to Martel Temple as she had feared. Ignoring Frank's pleas to rest, she had begun walking to the Temple only to run into Phaidra along the way and was stubbornly ushered back to town after being convinced that the children were safe, the Desians had left and Kratos was with them. They had questioned why she walking around as though she was leaving to travel and why she was so tired, but they understood that she had preferred not to answer, eventually considering that it was just a habit from being a mercenary for so long.

It hadn't really been that long since the Oracle first appeared. It had graced the residents of the village with its presence right after lunch. At the moment, it was still late afternoon. However, the longer they took to return, the worse she felt. The Oracle was the perfect chance to escape into Tethe'alla. Now that it was over, she'd have to be more cautious in timing their departure, not to mention they would have to leave before Colette could reach the first seal.

Distant laughing and excited chatter floated by her ears. She sighed with relief but put up a disappointed expression and decided to meet them at the entrance to the village. Kratos noticed her immediately and looked apologetic. As they got closer, Anna began tapping her foot, eventually catching the attention of the three children and the tallest of them froze in fear. His expression quickly changed to confusion as he noticed his mother's bow and her mercenary outfit.

"Mom? Are you leaving?" Lloyd asked worriedly.

"If by leaving, you mean returning home to punish someone for going to the Martel Temple while there were _Desians_ out there and engaging in _combat_ with them, then yeah! _We are_."

Lloyd paled slightly and Kratos sighed.

"W-wha- Who told you?!" the younger of the two exclaimed.

"Phaidra. Speaking of whom, she's expecting you, Kratos. And Colette, of course."

Kratos nodded. "Right. We'll head there now. I'll see you both at home." He turned to Colette who nodded in agreement. Lloyd crossed his arms and frowned.

"You're going to discuss the Journey of Regeneration right? I want to see Colette regenerate the world, too!"

"Absolutely not!" Anna called out while Kratos shook his head.

"Lloyd, it'll be too dangerous. The trials on the journey will be nothing compared to what we fought at the Temple of Martel. It's best that you don't go."

The boy hung his head and his mother gently tugged on his shoulder.

"Come on. I have to pick up some things at the shop, then we'll head back."

"I'll come see you later tonight, Lloyd!" Colette stated with a smile and she gave her friends a short wave before heading inside her home with Kratos.

"I'm going to head home too. I want to make Colette some cookies for her birthday before she leaves," Genis began then smirked when he noticed Lloyd flinched. Anna rubbed her forehead.

"Let me guess, Lloyd. You forgot it was her birthday," his mother accused.

"N-no. I … have something I was working on," Lloyd replied, blushing and looking down at his boots.

"Right. Well, come visit us later with Colette, Genis. We'll be going." Genis nodded in response to Anna and they waved farewell before separating.

* * *

Lloyd found himself walking back home on his own with his mother's groceries. Upon entering the shop in town, the shopkeeper requested that they pick up a commission of his from Dirk in exchange for half the cost of the items. Anna, being unable to pass up the deal, agreed to fetch his order while Lloyd carried the groceries back to Dirk's place.

The forest was peaceful for the most part as he travelled along the path through the forest. He paused when he passed by an area in the path that was surrounded by small craters. It was as though some kind of battle had occurred, but he continued on his way, wondering if whatever caused the damage might return. The bags he carried weren't too heavy and he found himself daydreaming about the Journey and trying to figure out how to convince his parents that he was strong enough to handle it. Eventually, his thoughts drifted to his very incomplete birthday present for Colette. He had started it a while ago, hoping to work on it little by little. Of course, he procrastinated a little bit too much and realized too late that he wouldn't be able to finish it on time. At least, he wouldn't finish it with a quality that was approved by Dirk anyway.

He sighed to himself, then looked up just in time to see a silver haired figure watching something from behind a tree with his back to Lloyd.

"Genis? What are you doing here?"

Genis jumped in surprise then nervously hid his hands behind his back. "L-Lloyd! Uh, N… nothing! What are you doing here? I saw Anna leaving the village earlier and thought you left too," he stuttered out.

"Mom had to fetch something for the shop owner. If you're already here, wanna head the rest of the way home with me? You can have dinner with us!" Lloyd offered with a wide grin. Genis looked down at his shoes guiltily.

"N-no, I… came here to see someone."

"Oh! Is it that pet dog you've been keeping in secret from the Professor?"

"W-wha- Pet dog?"

"Yeah, sometimes at lunch you avoid eating part of your lunch and -"

"Wait, you noticed that? Ah, never mind. I'm here to see a friend. She's a person."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you had friends outside of the village besides me."

Genis rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Does it matter?" He took a few steps onto the path that went left. "Anyway, I'm going to see her now." Lloyd froze.

"Wait. You made a friend from the _ranch_?! Genis, we're not supposed to even be near the place."

"I know but I can't just leave her. She almost never has enough to eat and… Well, I've been fine so far. I'll be careful."

Lloyd sighed and moved towards the bushes. Carefully tying up the grocery bags, he placed him in the brush and made sure they were carefully hidden. "Alright. I'll go with you. I can't let you go to a dangerous place like that on your own."

Genis smiled warmly at his trusted friend. "Thanks, Lloyd. I think it'd be great if you two met anyway," he told him as they walked down the path towards the ranch together.

They quietly walked to the side of the wall that was protected by an open electric fence. You could easily see into the outdoor yard of the institution. People of all ages were dressed in rags and pushing blocks further into the ranch. When one of them stopped for more than a moment to catch their breath, they were whipped and abused in order to push harder. Genis looked grim, while Lloyd watched in disgust. They weren't waiting long by the time an older lady with grey hair came around the corner. Genis' expression brightened immediately.

"Marble!"

The old lady looked towards them and smiled happily. "Genis! Oh, is this your friend?" she asked as she approached the fence. Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Lloyd."

Marble nodded respectfully in return. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"Marble!" Genis started, "Did you see the oracle?"

"Yes, I did. I saw the Tower of Salvation. Now, the Chosen's Journey of Regeneration can finally begin. I hope it is successful this time…"

They spoke for a few moments about the previous Chosen who failed, until something glittered in the sunlight, attracting Lloyd's attention. His heart froze and he found himself subconsciously putting one hand on top of the other in an attempt to hide his already hidden exspheres. Upon Marble's right hand was a bright red exsphere sparkling in the sun on its own.

"H-Hey, Grams—," Lloyd began but Genis nudged him.

"Her name's _Marble_!" his friend whispered under his breath.

"Marble. Isn't that an exsphere?"

The lady briefly glanced at her hand and chuckled. "Oh, is that what this is called? They placed it on me shortly after I came here."

"Yeah. That's definitely an exsphere but, you don't have a key crest. Using an exsphere without one would make you sick."

Genis appeared to be upset by this information. "W-wha- Well, is there something you can do, Lloyd? Your parents are mercenaries, don't they use them?"

Lloyd shook his head. "It's not that simple. Mom and Dad do use them but, key crests are Dwarven technology. It's not like they'll just be carrying extras around. If it was just the charm that I needed, I could carve one myself. But there's nothing I can do without inhibitor ore."

"But you live with a dwarf! Surely, Dirk could do something. Please ask him for help, Lloyd!"

The swordsman crossed his arms and gently nibbled on his lip. If he was going to ask Dirk for help, he'd have to do it while his parent's weren't home. If they found out he'd been near a ranch… Lloyd shuddered to think of even the looks he'd receive. However, glancing over at his friend's eager and desperate expression, his shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Alright, alright. I'll ask Dirk about it."

Genis cheered. "Yes! That's why I like you, Lloyd."

Marble gently waved them off. "Please, do not trouble yourselves for me."

"HEY! Old hag! What the hell are you doin' back there?" the voice of a guard shouted. Genis jumped in surprised and Lloyd stepped back, glancing at Marble. She shooed them off immediately.

"Hide yourselves quickly! Go!" she whispered, waving them away. The two boys nodded before running off to hide in some bushes nearby. Genis was shaking.

"What should we do, Lloyd?! Oh no, they're going to punish her. We can't let this happen, this is all my fault and-"

The swordsman grabbed the younger boy's shoulders and shook them lightly.

"Calm down, Genis! We'll think of something. We need higher ground so we can see into the ranch."

The two of them quickly looked around. Genis pointed out a climbable side of the cliff, and the two of them jumped up the edges as fast as they could. When they reached a high enough level, they crouched near the edge of the cliff side and looked over the ranch's front yard. Genis made a choking sound in horror.

Three Desian guards were whipping Marble who defenselessly had her arms over her head, while the rest of the front yard slaves watched on sadly. The sounds of each crack weighed on both boys, until Lloyd was standing and Genis was nearly in tears.

Something tickled the back of Lloyd's thoughts. _Not Marble… why must she suffer the same fate?_

"Lloyd… they're hurting her! I-I can't-," he stuttered. Lloyd felt his exspheres warm up as he clenched his fists.

_Kill them for their cruelty._ The voice was a mere whisper, but for once, Lloyd couldn't disagree.

"Genis. You attack the Desians with magic."

"What?! But then we'll-,"

"We don't have any choice or the time! Afterwards, hide among the bushes and make your way back to the village. I'll act as the decoy."

The mage struggled to argue against it, wanting to rescue Marble. "But that – that means you'll be in danger!" He was surprised at how calm Lloyd managed to be. Since when could his friend come up with these sorts of ideas under this sort of stress?

"Don't worry about me. I'll head down the cliff so they don't see my face. Then, I'll run in the opposite direction of the village."

Genis frowned but nodded in the end. "Okay," he replied, finally pulling out his kendama. He glanced at his friend to make sure they were ready, and received a nod to initiate their plan. Lloyd found himself feeling a little dizzy as the fog around them moved towards the mage's weapon and gathered, forming itself to the spell. Suddenly, three bright red fireballs shot forth and struck each guard. One of them recovered quickly.

"H-Hey! Who did that?"

Lloyd sprang into action, jumping off of the cliff and onto the top of the ranch's walls. Guards pointed and shouted at him as he eventually jumped off the wall and head for the cliff. The gates opened up just as Lloyd ran passed them and two guards ran out and chased him. He smirked to himself, pleased with how well it was going so far. Then, there was a _thunk_.

"Oww…"

The guards stopped and looked around, before looking at each other in confusion.

"Did you hear that?" One of them asked. Lloyd cursed under his breath.

_Clearly, I spoke way too soon, _he thought to himself as he withdrew his swords and charged at the two guards. The battle between them ensued, but Lloyd was relentless. Fearing for his friend, he drew on the power that the exspheres offered him and fought off both guards simultaneously. One of them managed to lightly graze the back of his hand, scraping off part of his glove. However, he ignored it and took them both out.

Shouts, footsteps and the sounds of withdrawn weapons could be heard along with the offendingly loud sirens of the Desian ranch. Lloyd began to sweat and he quickly searched for Genis. Seeing that his friend had managed to escape, he turned on his heel and ran for the cliff. Several soldiers had already made their way through the gate and spotted him fleeing.

"There he is! Capture him at all costs!" one of the guards shouted.

_Not if I can help it_, Lloyd thought to himself. The exspheres were flaring excitedly now and burned as Lloyd jumped off the ledge and plummeted towards the ground below. Fear clawed at his heart as he felt his back twitch as though it was trying to move muscles that weren't actually there. He thought he had spotted blue-green feathers but blinked the idea away from his thoughts. Voices were nagging him again, but he didn't have time for them. He felt his body draw on the power from his exspheres as he landed on a small solid platform that stuck out from the cliff. Once he made sure he was uninjured, he jumped off that platform and continued until he reached the very bottom of the cliff. Genis was already there by the time he made it down.

"Lloyd! Are you okay? I'm sorry. Because of me, they saw you and - "

"Don't worry. I took out the ones that saw my face." He gave his friend a reassuring smile with his arms crossed, trying to ignore the raging energy searing the back of his hands and trying to keep the exposed exsphere hidden. "We should hurry though. I'll run back to Dirk's place. You should return to the village." Genis looked a little bit relieved but not quite convinced.

"If you say so..."

Lloyd chuckled. "Just do my homework for me okay?"

Genis laughed along with him. "Okay!"

Lloyd ran off and quickly returned to where he placed the groceries. He was relieved to find them in the bushes where he had left them and gathered them up to carry again. He turned to return to the path home and jumped when he found himself faced with his mother.

"Lloyd? You're only here? Did he take longer than usual gathering up our list?" she questioned him. He shrugged in response.

"Uhm, y-yeah I guess so. Heh."

Anna frowned. "Lloyd… What happened to your glove?"

"Uh… Had a run in with some forest wolves. That's- that's why I hid the groceries here," he replied, coming up with something as quickly as he could. She stared him for a long while, and glanced between him, the ranch and the glove. Lloyd anxiously shifted his weight between his feet. Finally, she shrugged.

"Well, alright. Don't dally on the way home. I won't be long in the village."

The boy nervously nodded. "Right. See you after, Mom."

As soon as he felt like she was out of sight, he rushed back home as quickly as he could. He didn't want to explain to anyone other than Dirk why he of all people needed a key crest.

* * *

The ranch was bustling. Human slaves were being returned to their cells early and guards were running about due to a special code. The code was almost never called out, so much so that several guards who had recently joined or transferred into the organization had to report to higher ups for further instructions. During this time, one of the guards head into a secure room and made sure the cameras were off. He pulled out a communication device, and rolled his thumb against a turning knob. Pressing the on button, he raised the device to his lips.

"Orders for capture have been issued for Lloyd Irving. What are your orders?" he asked, then waited for a reply. It only took a few moments.

"Acknowledged. If the boy is captured, we are to retrieve him and send him _where the dust blows by day_."

* * *

"Ya went to the ranch?!" Dirk shouted as Lloyd lowered his head.

"Y-yeah. But I made sure they didn't see my face and - Look, we can't just leave her like that. Leaving an exsphere on without a key crest is dangerous right?"

The dwarf sighed and shook his head. "Aye, it is. You didn't let them see your exsphere didya?"

Lloyd shook his head. "No, I made sure that no one saw."

"Saw what?" Anna asked as she walked in the door. Lloyd and Dirk froze and shuffled their feet nervously.

"A-ah, made sure no saw me uh… beat those wolves I was telling you about earlier. When they damaged my glove," Lloyd replied. "Dirk was just asking about what happened."

"Oh, I see. Well, just make sure you do some of your chores before your friends visit."

Lloyd sighed and glanced at Dirk who shrugged. They would have to finish their discussion another time.

"I will, Mom."

While tending to his chores outside, he found himself reminiscing about the night before. He had gone to train when Noishe ran off and Mithos had visited. However, his memory was spotty and confusing from that point on. Since then, his exspheres had been rather sporadic.

"Lloyd, can we chat for minute?"

The young swordsman turned around and found himself face to face with his mother. However, she was unsure of herself.

"Sure, Mom. What's up?"

She scratched the back of her head and glanced to the side. "This will probably sound like it's out of the blue but, would you like to come with me on a job?" She paused as Lloyd's expression changed from confusion to wonder. "Of course, you have to promise to follow all of my instructions. Afterwards, if you can prove to me that you're ready then perhaps we can meet up with Colette and your father while they're on the Journey?" She gasped as Lloyd suddenly hugged her. After a moment, he backed away and coughed.

"Uh, yeah that sounds awesome! When do we leave? What kind of job is it? Can we bring Genis along?" Lloyd was practically jumping on toes.

"Since Raine has decided to leave Genis in the village, it's best that he stays behind."

He was torn at that thought. Genis' sister and his friends leaving him without a second thought. It didn't seem right.

"Mom, we can't just leave Genis here by him-" Anna raised one of her hands, cutting him off.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd. But I'll have to put my foot down. I would prefer to leave tomorrow after Colette's left, so you still have the night. Think it over and let me know tomorrow. Alright?"

Lloyd sighed and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine."

Colette and Kratos came by after the sun had fallen far below the horizon along with Raine and Genis. Genis nervously waved to Lloyd who grinned in return. Colette approached him.

"Would you like to talk on the terrace, Lloyd?"

The two of them chatted alone for a few minutes, beginning with Lloyd apologizing for not finishing her birthday present in time. In the end, he wished her a happy birthday which she appeared to be happy with and promised to have it finished in time to give her before she left the following day. She was deep in her thoughts when she agreed and told him that she'd be leaving the village at noon tomorrow.

The Sages and Colette waved goodbye then turned and head back into the forest. Before leaving, Kratos rested a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, surprising him.

"Take care of your mother, Lloyd, and yourself."

Lloyd nodded. "I will, Dad. Come back soon, alright?"

Kratos closed his eyes. "I promise that after this task is done, I won't take on any more jobs. I'll be around more often."

Lloyd smiled and playfully punched Kratos' shoulder, causing him to look at his son. "Don't worry about it. Just make sure you come back. Mom and I will miss you."

The older man smiled warmly. He gave his son a final tap on the shoulder, then followed the others back to the village. With a sigh, Lloyd straightened himself.

"Alright, time to finish that birthday present!"

* * *

The sun was just coming over the horizon. Raine was double checking that Colette had everything she needed, while Kratos and Anna stood by the entrance to the village. Genis sat on the steps leading up to his home, sulking about his sister leaving him behind.

"Are you sure you'll both be alright?" Kratos asked for what seemed like the 40th time.

"Yes, dear. We'll be fine. Although, I don't like how you're leaving me to explain to Lloyd why Colette is leaving early."

Raine and Colette approached them. Colette bowed her head.

"I'm sorry for the sudden change in plans, Ms. Anna. If you'd like, Grandma would be happy to explain as well." Anna waved her off.

"Don't worry yourself, Colette. Just stay safe during your travels, okay? I wish you the best of luck."

Colette smiled happily and thanked her.

"Please look after Genis for me, Anna. I'm … worried he'll get into trouble on his own," Raine stated, giving the younger mage a concerned glance.

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure he's safe. I promise," Anna replied with confidence.

The group exchanged a few more words and Genis joined them as well, before the group of three head off on the journey towards the desert. Once the group had vanished into the distance, the morning light was high above them. Genis returned to his home, seeming disappointed and Anna strolled through the forest back to Dirk's cottage. Along the way, she paused momentarily by the path that lead to the Iselia ranch and listened. It was overly quiet. No one was out pushing boulders, no guards yelling. She couldn't even hear the footsteps of guards patrolling the field within the gate. Telling herself it was nothing she should be concerned about, she continued on her way.

Dirk was outside tending to some dry laundry and waved as she came into view, and she waved back with a small smile.

"Where's Lloyd? Is he up yet?" she asked as she went to tend to Noishe. The protozoan whined at her as her hand rested on his furry head.

"Aye. The lad was up and at 'em just a lil while ago. He left just before ya arrived. Surprised ya didn't see 'im."

She frowned. "Huh. I guess he took another path in the forest and passed me while I was lost in thought." She shrugged. "Phaidra can explain then. Colette decided to leave early. Earlier than what she told Lloyd."

Dirk sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Not very surprisin'. Colette's always been tha worried type, 'specially where Lloyd's concerned. Will you two be leavin' soon?"

"Hopefully. I just –," She froze as a strange sound echoed in the distance. She had thought she heard it yesterday just after she encountered Lloyd in the forest near the ranch. _Near… the ranch. The ranch?!_ She gasped as Noishe suddenly began to bark and whine. Anna tried to calm him down, though there was much she could do to calm her worried heart. "It's okay, Noishe. Dirk, did you hear that?"

The dwarf shook his head. Anna bit her lip, trying to ignore the horrible feeling gnawing at her heart. She focused on tending to Noishe and brushed him down for a little while. Noishe continued to whine, as though he was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't pick on what it was. However, she was intent on waiting for Lloyd to return and hovered around outside helping Dirk with the outside chores. An hour or so passed when Noishe began barking frantically again. This time it was accompanied with a strange smell. Dirk noticed it first and frowned when he looked at the sky.

"Oy, Ms. Anna. I think we have a problem," he stated slowly. Anna approached him, taking off her gardening gloves.

"What is it?" When he pointed, she looked towards the sky and gasped. Black smoke was rising from Iselia. She began to shake as she ran to Noishe's pen and Dirk quickly went inside. He returned with his hammer, as Anna told Noishe to find Lloyd. The beast darted into the forest, with Anna and Dirk following some ways behind.

They rushed through the forest as quickly as they could, Anna wishing that she could simply fly there. However, she couldn't risk revealing herself unless she knew she had no choice. As the village came into view, they had to stop as a loud booming sound pulsed through the air. Anna fell to her knees, holding her ears. She heard a small voice yelling and crying, and sounds of clinking armor. She pushed herself up, with help from Dirk. They ran into the village to see several Desian guards hovering over a man with blue-green hair and an arm canon, while Genis was on his knees and Lloyd was protectively standing near him, swords withdrawn. Anna's hands flew to her mouth. Forcystus had called an attack on Iselia.

_Why? Why now?!_ It was all she could ask herself at this point. She was still frozen in place when Forcystus coughed up some blood and glared at Lloyd.

"As long as you possess those exspheres, you will be pursued." Slowly, the Desian guards helped him stand and they began to warp away. Anna's heart only beat faster as the Cardinal's only eye settling on her and a dark smirk appeared on his face. "You've been given one chance. Don't waste it."

Then the Desians warped out of Iselia, leaving only the destruction that usually came with them. Once they were gone, Anna ran to Lloyd, who still trying to comfort Genis. Noishe and Dirk weren't far behind and unfortunately, neither were the remaining villagers.

"What have you done?!" the mayor shouted, waving his hands at the flames that continued to consume the homes in the village. "Look! Look at what's happened to the village! This is all of your fault!" He pointed at Lloyd, who shamefully looked down at his shoes.

"Wait. What happened here? Lloyd?" Anna asked worriedly. The mayor's face was red with angry.

"This lad was caught attacking guards at the Desian Ranch! He broke the treaty!"

"It's not his fault!" Genis suddenly cried out. "The Desians broke the treaty first when they attacked Colette at the Temple of Martel!" Lloyd held out his hand before his friend, who looked up at him while his eyes brimmed over with tears.

"I… I'm sorry." Lloyd's voice was labored with sorrow and guilt. Anna was in disbelief.

"Lloyd… please tell me this isn't true," she whispered. He closed his eyes.

"You think you can fix this by apologizing? The Desians _marked_ you as their enemy! As long as you are here, this village shall never again know peace. Do you understand?"

Genis shoved Lloyd's hand away. "You mean you're exiling him?! T-That's… That's not fair! Lloyd did nothing wrong! He just saved her and -"

"And _any_ involvement with the ranch is forbidden. No exceptions," the mayor replied. Anna felt disgust and anger boil in her chest. Genis continued to argue with the mayor.

"So it's okay to let people at the ranch die as long as the village is safe?!"

"The people at the ranch are just going to rot there anyway!" Another woman in the crowd yelled out, and several others murmured their agreement. The mayor nodded.

"Yes. And if you had not gone and done something so _stupid_, they'd have been the only ones that died."

Genis lowered his head and glared at his feet. "You humans are all the same," he spat. Lloyd stepped in front of him. "That's enough, Genis." The young mage shook his head.

"It's not Lloyd's fault! I took him to the ranch! He was only there because of me!"

The mayor all but shrugged. "But he's the only one the Desians are after. Besides, he's not even from this village. He's an outsider who lives out in the forest with a dwarf and a bunch of sell-swords who are hardly even around!"

Anna's eyes flashed dangerously and Genis clenched his fists.

"Then I'm leaving too. I'm-," the boy was cut off as Anna stepped in front of both boys and stood face to face with the mayor. The man stepped back as Anna's eyes coldly bore into him.

"They'll leave with me. I was planning on heading out anyway. So cast your judgement and leave us be. You've said your piece."

He coughed into his hands. "By the power invested in me as mayor, I hereby banish Lloyd and Genis from the village of Iselia. Get out."

* * *

_Next:_

_Chapter 9: We're just trying to make a stand against it, once more_

* * *

**A/N's:**

**Till next time!  
LF**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: We're just trying to make a stand against it, once more

_"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." - Rafiki_

They walked in silence for most of the day, pausing only to eat rest and replenish their energy for short periods of time. By the time the sun had ducked below the horizon, they were half way to the nearest House of Salvation. Not wanting to wander too much in the dark while keeping an eye on two children, Anna decided they would camp for the night, and volunteered for night watch. As the two boys were still lost in their sorrow about the events that occurred earlier that day, she made soup over the fire and frowned as they poked at it, only eating small spoonfuls at a time here and there.

Eventually Lloyd excused himself to go on a walk to clear his head. Promising not to go far, he left Anna and Genis sitting alone together around their campfire. Genis hugged his knees to his face, still tightly holding onto the remainder of his friend. Anna poked at the fire occasionally, deep in thought. At this point, she had no choice but to catch up to Kratos and allow Lloyd and Genis to continue the journey with Colette. If the Desians were already aware of her idea to escape, then the chances of angels coming after them were too great. Staying with the Chosen of Mana would be the only way to avoid it since Yggdrasill would avoid risking putting her at risk, besides the fact that he wanted Lloyd to go with them anyway. _Yet I can't help but feel that we're just using Colette's title as some kind of divine protection_, she thought to herself, disgusted.

"M...Mrs. Irving?"

Anna looked up. Genis had raised his head from his knees but was still gripping onto the exsphere like it might disappear and never return. He was looking down, avoiding her eyes and his face was still stained with tears. He truly looked like a sad, worn out kid and she couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

"Yes, Genis?"

The mage hesitated before looking her in the eyes. She could see hints of determination behind the gloom on his face.

"Please don't be too harsh on Lloyd. Everything that happened - going to the ranch and trying to save my friend, even fighting my friend off when she became a monster… I don't think any of that was wrong. And he only did it - he was only there because of me." He seemed like he wanted to say more, but quickly lost his composure. He closed his eyes and hid his face in his knees again as Anna sighed but smiled slightly. It was then that Lloyd returned from his walk, and settled next to Genis, patting his friend on the back. He hadn't even bothered putting the glove back on for his other hand, leaving his Cruxis crystal exposed.

"I'm not angry with either of you," Anna began. Lloyd leaned back on his hands but kept his eyes downcast and Genis was still hiding his face. "I don't think that what happened in Iselia is the result of a right or wrong choice. Sometimes, we can think we're helping or saving someone but only at the cost of another person's life. Sometimes, there may be nothing we can do." She watched Lloyd, who was still looking away from her. "I saved someone close to me and yet their life is constantly at risk. I thought I could save someone by running away," she looked back at the fire. "I don't regret those choices I made. I don't think you should either. We never know if those choices will become mistakes."

"But we should still try to fix them," Lloyd stated resolutely, surprising his mother. "I'm going to make sure I fix my mistakes. I can't return the lives that were lost in Iselia and I can't make anyone forget what happened but, I'll have to make do with what I can do." He raised his fist and stared at the crystal that glowed darkly on the back of hand beneath the white chains imprinted on his arm and hand. He flexed his fist a couple of times. "I'm going to help Colette regenerate the world."

Anna found herself staring at her son in awe. He was as upset about what happened in Iselia as Genis, and yet, still found the courage to admit that he made a mistake. Even then, he chose to decide that it was something he could make up for. Eventually, she found herself smiling warmly at the two of them, as Lloyd's words had also encouraged Genis, who was no longer hiding his face, but staring down at the exsphere he held with determination. The young mage pulled out the key crest that Lloyd had given him earlier, and attached the exsphere to his hand just has Lloyd had shown him. Turning to his older friend, they nodded at each other, both accepting the resolve to help Colette.

* * *

There was something that had changed between him and the exspheres that clung to him like parasites. The exspheres were far more active, despite his mother's attempts at calming them but they didn't cause him pain or illness. It took him a few days of travelling to notice but he did, many more things were apparent. For one, Genis' magic no longer made his vision spin. He still saw the movement of the multi-colored fog as it swirled towards his mage friend and fused itself into one color just as the cast was complete, and he could still see strange colored fog lurk around his mother at times, but the biggest difference was that he could handle it now. The next thing that changed was that as he fought, he felt lighter, stronger and faster than before. His head would clear up and while his exspheres often began to act up, he was able to control them. Unfortunately, the other thing that changed was that the nightmares grew worse and more frequent.

His other self, as it so proclaimed, questioned him nightly and every time Lloyd tried to fight him off. He'd wake up breathing heavily with his mother hovering worriedly over him, asking him what was wrong. Refusing to admit that he was being haunted by some sort of spirit, he was as vague as he could be.

"Just bad dreams, Mom," he would say. She would frown sadly and hug him gently, rubbing his back. As far as she was concerned, the events at Iselia were haunting his sleep. _If only it was just that,_ he thought to himself. It was frustrating getting awful sleep every night, especially during the times his mother would suddenly wake them long before the sun rises. She would look panicked and rush them to get ready in order to continue. Whenever they asked what had spooked her, she would just shake her head and observe their surroundings in silence.

Finally, exhausted and sweaty, they arrived in Triet. The boys helped Noishe get comfortable in a small animal holding that was nicely covered in cool shade. Once the beast was happily panting in the warm desert breeze, they looked to Anna for instruction. Her eyes wandered over the map until she frowned and folded it up.

"Kratos and Colette can't be far from here. Let's split up and ask some of the people around town. I'll ask around the market here, you boys head the other way. Let's meet back here in about 30 minutes." She began to walk away but then stopped suddenly, and looked at them over her shoulder. "Please try to act inconspicuous." Lloyd rubbed the back of his head.

"We'll try, Mom," he replied. She nodded and head towards the market place. Lloyd gave Noishe another pat on the head before heading to the northern part of the town with Genis. It was relatively bare since it was mainly the residential area of the town. At this time of day when the sun was high in the sky, most people were inside, waiting for the sun to lower closer to the horizon and for the cool evening breeze to roll in. There was a boy guarding an oasis who mentioned seeing several groups of travelers over the recent days, but couldn't identify anyone that fit the description of Colette, Kratos or Raine.

Further down the road was a small stand carrying meats and vegetables. When they asked about their friends, the stall owner rested a hand on his chin and thought for a few moments.

"Hmm. I want to say I saw the people you were describing but… hmm. With so many tourists coming to visit the Fortune Teller, it's hard to say, you know?"

"The Fortune Teller? Is that what that tent is for?" Genis asked, surprised.

"Yes, indeed, that is her tent. Almost all tourists who come here make a stop at her tent. She may have seen your friends."

Lloyd grinned excitedly at this new lead. "Thanks, mister!" he called out as he pulled Genis towards the tent.

They looked around in awe once they stepped inside. Despite how sunny it was outside, it was surprisingly dark. There was only enough room for about three or four people to stand as there was a decently sized table in the middle of the space. A colourfully clothed lady stood behind it with her hands resting on a huge glass ball. She eyed them with a smile, and an expression that gave Genis the creeps.

"So, you two are here searching for your friend, correct?" The boys looked at each other in alarm before turning back to the proclaimed psychic. Her smile grew at their reaction.

"S-sorry but uh, how did you-?" Lloyd began, but was cut off as the lady pointed to some stools in the corner.

"Please, have a seat. Before I say anything, I must say that my services are not free, but I can give you my two-for-one deal! It'll be 100 gald."

Genis put down his stool and was obviously displeased. "How do we know that this isn't a scam? You haven't told us anything useful yet either." The lady didn't say a word, merely held out her hand with the same smile. Lloyd sighed and surrendered a couple coins of gald, much to Genis' frustration.

"We're looking for Colette, the Chosen. She was travelling with two others as well," the swordsman mentioned.

"Perfect," she announced as she pocketed the coins. Then, taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and waved her hands around the glass ball. "Ah! I can see her! Just a moment." She dramatically leaned closer to the ball then suddenly stepped back as her eyes shot open. "The Chosen is heading for the oasis that is said to have been destroyed when Efreet went out of control."

Lloyd's jaw was practically swinging but Genis grunted. "And is that true?" the mage asked, suspicious.

"Well, the Chosen's companion said so, so there's no doubt."

The two of them nearly slapped their hands on their foreheads.

"What a con," Genis started. "Let's get out of here, Lloyd."

"Wait wait! You can't leave without receiving your personal divinations! They come with what you paid for," she announced suddenly, while Genis rolled his eyes.

"What could you possibly have to say that won't waste even more of our time?"

The lady merely shrugged. "Why not stay and find out? It'll only take a few minutes." As they went to sit back down, she held up her palm to them. "Ah ah ah. One at a time. One of you will wait outside. The brown haired boy can go first."

Genis shrugged before stepping outside the tent and Lloyd took a seat on the stool. He froze when the fortune teller's expression suddenly grew serious. There was a strange look in her eyes as she held out her hand.

"Please give me your right hand."

He gulped but cautiously obliged. She turned over his hand until his palm was facing upwards and traced over the lines. After a few moments, she turned back over and released him. After a deep sigh, she looked at him sadly.

"Souls are cryptic things. Those that are close can never truly be seen. That is, until either destiny winks her eye or circumstances unforeseen force you to see the truth." She tried to smile. "Lloyd. Evil is not always transparent nor is it ever greater than us. It will never rule us if we don't allow it. Don't let _that_ darkness rule you." A shiver went through him, causing him to flinch. "Remember that. Now," her expression returned to normal. "Please call in your friend and wait outside."

* * *

While she was irritated by their late return, she was more relieved than anything else. The fortune teller had essentially given them the information they needed, and Anna decided that it was best they just wait in town for them to come back.

"The desert is huge and I haven't a single clue where this ruined oasis might be. Genis, your sister has interests in ruins and history right? Here." She handed the young mage a map. "Do you think you might be able to point something out Raine may have mentioned?"

Genis looked skeptical but shrugged. "I can give it a shot."

"Great. You guys stay out here with Noishe, make sure he stays out of trouble. I'll get us a room at the inn."

The boys nodded to her as they poured over the map. Lloyd, immediately realizing that he didn't remember most lectures that had anything to do with ruins, gave Genis a pat on the back and offered to ask around in the marketplace. His friend shook his head.

"I think Raine has mentioned this before. See, we're here and -"

Genis paused as he overheard the voices of two nearby uniformed men. He looked up and pulled Lloyd to the other side of Noishe's pen.

"What do you think boss wants the kid for?"

"Who knows. An order was issued so he ordered it as well I guess."

One of them chuckled. "He won't be able to avoid us for long once we put these posters up."

Lloyd peaked over the side of the pen, watching as the two Desians stuck a picture to a billboard on the outside wall of the inn. They admired their work for a moment before heading further into town. Once they were out of sight, the two boys ran to examine the poster. Upon recognizing the image, Lloyd frowned and Genis tried to stifle his laughter.

It was a terrible imitation of Lloyd's face combined with strange cursive writing with 'WANTED' written near the top in big red letters. Genis assumed that the cursive writing said 'Lloyd Irving' but it wasn't quite legible.

"I don't think anyone will find you with this. I think." The swordsman was still rather unamused.

"Do I seriously look this ugly? And they're putting these things everywhere? Damn it."

"In any case we should-"

"Hey! You two, standing by inn billboard. Turn around," someone demanded. The two boys froze, but slowly turned in response.

The two Desians were back. The men observed them for a moment before one pointed to Lloyd.

"Doesn't he look like the kid in the poster?" he asked his comrades as Lloyd rolled his eyes.

_You have got to be kidding me…_

"Let's see." The two boys stepped aside as one of the Desians walked up to the poster for a closer look. When he turned back, the guard wore a menacing grin. "Yeah. Looks just like it."

Genis nudged his friend. "Hear that Lloyd? They said you're good looking."

Before Lloyd could reply the third guard chuckled. "So, you must be Lloyd. Guess you can't get away with your face posted everywhere!"

"Okay, now you're just pissing me off!" the swordsman exclaimed, withdrawing his weapons. He ran at them as they were stumbling to bring up their weapons. Then, a fierce jolt ripped through his body. He fell to the ground wordlessly. Genis gasped and found himself unable to speak. Two more guards had come in the entrance.

"You idiots, what are you wasting time for? Didn't you read the memo? If the kid's mother finds out, your heads will be rolling. Grab the kid and let's get out of here."

"But what about the kid's friend?"

Suddenly being the focus of attention, tears welled up in Genis' eyes. He dropped his kendama and rubbed his face. "I'm scared! Please don't hurt me! I'll be good!" The guards looked at each other frowning, and shrugged.

"Bring the mage kid too. Now let's get out of here."

* * *

Everything in the inn was just too loud. There was a chatty woman with a crying baby, and other guests talking about the shining lights caused by the Oracle. Along with being distracted by her worry of Lloyd and how she would explain the situation to Kratos and Raine, she didn't notice the room fall silent until she turned away from the inn desk and saw a few people barricading the door.

She approached the woman with the baby. "Uhm, excuse me, but what's going on?"

"Desians. They've picked a fight with someone outside."

Anna frowned as her concern increased tenfold and she felt her heart drop once she heard Noishe barking. _Not now, please not now,_ she thought to herself as she walked up the guards.

"My son is out there. Please let me through." While they gave her a sympathetic glance, they moved without a word, and Anna stepped out of the building. She shivered and held her breath as she looked around the town center. There was no Noishe. Genis was nowhere to be seen. And worst of all, Lloyd was gone. The only signs that they had been there at all was Genis' kendama and the remains of Noishe's large paw prints in the sand.

"Damn it…" she angrily muttered to herself. She had let her guard down. Due to her negligence, Lloyd was in the hands of someone who would cause him harm. She picked up Genis' kendama and gripped it tightly. Mana flowed wildly around her as she stared down at the mage's weapon. Hey eyes widened in shock as a single rainbow colored feather made of mana gently fluttered down towards her hands and evaporated on contact.

It was a warning.

Senses on high alert and feeling strengthened beyond her own comprehension, she dashed out of the town. Gathering as much of her strength into her legs and feet, she burst into the air, her green wings erupting from her back and leaving Triet in the dust of a mini sandstorm.

* * *

_Next: _

_Chapter 10: Within the closed darkness, I felt the presence of light._

* * *

**A/N's:** I get lost in time so easily. I feel like I blinked and all this time went by. Regardless, sorry for the short chapter! I was very conflicted on the order of the next scenes to take place... Which is why I probably won't be using quotes at the end of chapters anymore in case I decide to cut things out last minute. I've already started Chapter 10 and 11! So hopefully the wait won't be as long. Thank you to my friend who helped me with this chapter when I got stuck with it ~

Till next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Within the closed darkness, I felt the presence of light**

_"Our means of survival is in these hands" – Sidonia no kishi by angela_

He was like a stiff board when the Desians dragged Lloyd's motionless body into their base. While he wished that he was crying crocodile tears, in truth he was terrified. It took every bit of his will power not to quiver in fear. When the red of his friend's outfit disappeared behind the metal doors, Genis let it all out.

"Why am I even here? Lloyd was the one who made me come along! What will happen to me now?" he cried out as dramatically as he could without pushing it. He wiped his tears away while trying to avoid having his knees buckle. The Desian guards looked at each other uncomfortably.

"They didn't ask for him. Do you think…?" The other shrugged before they waved the boy off.

"Alright, alright. As a fellow kinsman, we'll let you go. So, get out of here."

Genis looked up in pretend surprise.

"R…really?!" he exclaimed. The guard on the left seemed worried.

"You sure it's okay to just let him go?"

"What can a kid do?"

Genis smiled. "Thank you, mister!"

He waved before running off and hiding behind a sand dune, far enough away to be mostly out of hearing range. He was ecstatic to see Noishe bound right up to him, having followed them from Triet. Immediately, he began to think of a plan. Should he just try to find Colette? He still had the map and the chance that they were near some old desert ruins that Raine had once mentioned in class were relatively high. At the very least, it would be a good place to start searching and they shouldn't have been in the area for too long yet. However, they also left Anna behind in the city. She would be terribly worried, and if he didn't find Colette and Raine before they returned to town it might be problematic.

He looked around when Noishe froze and whined, sniffing the air. Genis frowned when he couldn't see anything that would warrant the beast's reaction.

Suddenly, she was there. He had simply looked over his shoulder once again and she had appeared when a brief gust of wind had forced him to blink. No footsteps in the sand lead to her two feet, nor had there been much wind since Genis could remember. If she didn't walk, then how did she travel? And how did she reach them so fast?

She was tense and alert. The air around her was thick with energy, causing Genis to shiver. Having never seen her in this state before, he was unsure about how to approach her.

His cover was quickly blown when Noishe decided to run around the sand dune and startle Anna out of her thoughts. He sheepishly followed rubbing the back of his head. She gasped and held a hand to her chest upon recognition.

"Genis! Thank goodness you're okay! What happened? Where's Lloyd?" she asked. A mix of relief and worry could be heard in her voice.

"I'm not quite sure. Desians were putting up wanted posters of Lloyd and we were looking at one of them. Suddenly they were behind us, Lloyd and I were captured but -"

"It's okay. I can guess the rest but where's Lloyd? Did you happen to see where they took him?"

Silently, he pointed in the direction of the base.

"They dragged him inside and let me go. Noishe found me, and then we found you."

Anna sighed and glared in the direction of the facility that was currently holding Lloyd hostage.

"Guess we need a plan now huh? Hmm… Do you still remember roughly where those ruins were? The ones you looking for on the map earlier." At the boy's nod she continued, "Great. Head in that direction and try to find Colette and the others. If you ride on Noishe, he should be able to lead you in the right direction and-"

"Wait, aren't you coming with us?"

Anna shook her head. "I have to save Lloyd. I can't just leave him there."

Genis gave her an incredulous expression. "You plan on going in there… by yourself?" Her response was simply to start walking towards the Desian base. Genis immediately dashed in front of her. "Are you crazy? How are you supposed to save him by yourself? I don't care how good a mercenary you are, there's no way you can go in there alone!"

She glanced to the side. "Stand aside, Genis. I - "

"No way! Lloyd and I...," he tensed and lowered his head, staring down at the sand. "Lloyd and I made a promise. We promised to protect Colette on her journey. It's not the same if it's just me or him! But between the two of us, we won't make it and Lloyd would never forgive me if I let you go on your own!" He looked up and locked eyes with her. "We need their help but most of all, we need to work together. It's the only way we can guarantee we'll rescue him."

The two of them stared each other down for a few moments, neither wanting to withdraw their choice. However, Anna eventually closed her eyes, sighed and shrugged, and Genis smiled in response.

* * *

He felt weightless as he stared straight ahead blankly. The exspheres were warm but not intensely burning. A bright white light slowly formed to a person before him. Whoever they were, they were calling out, but he couldn't hear. He tried to speak or walk towards them, but found himself paralyzed. However, slowly but surely, the voice grew louder and louder.

"..-better or for worse, I won't turn away. Stay safe, Lloyd."

He opened his eyes and sat up, startled. After a few deep breaths, he observed his surroundings only to discover that he was in a cell. As his memories caught up, he muttered a curse word. _I've done it now. I've actually been captured by Desians…_

As he stood, he realized his cell was relatively small with only two or three steps between the prison bed and the metal bars that marked the door to his cage. He leaned against the cool bars, noticing two guards down the hall chatting to each other.

"-finally caught that kid. Sucks to be him."

"I almost feel bad for him. Heard he's up for execution soon."

Lloyd's stomach flipped at those words and his knees grew weak.

"Execution? W...what the hell?!" he muttered to himself. His surroundings grew dark as he sat on the edge of the bed. His muscles tensed and he suddenly found himself gasping for breath.

_We will not die in here. Not another ranch. Not again. _

The crystal on his left hand began to pulse. He covered it with his right hand trying to hold it back.

_Release your true power Lloyd. Why do you hold yourself back?_

"You're not me, damn it!" he exclaimed through clenched teeth. He barely noticed the guards checking on him through the metal bars.

_I am __**now**__ you. We share the same power. And we're getting out of here. _

The pulsing increased. His hands and skin felt like they were on fire. Energy was building up inside him and he had no idea how to control it. He yelled out at the top of his lungs.

* * *

He awoke to the sounds of sirens. His nose twitched at the burning smell that hung around the room. He coughed as he stood, attempting to wave the smoke away. Debris littered the floor causing his steps to make crunching noises. His whole body ached as he pushed himself out of what seemed like a massive hole in the wall. Black and light blue-green feathers lay scattered among the debris. Eventually, he discovered a charred chest. Luckily for him it wasn't locked, and opened after he knocked the wreckage off that had landed on it. He was ecstatic to find his equipment. The alarms were still ringing loudly as he escaped the room, not noticing the charred Desian corpses that were scattered near what was his cell.

The next room was much larger and very bright. He gaped at the futuristic looking walls and pillars.

"...he should be in over here!" a voice shouted from beyond a door across the room. Panicking, Lloyd jumped down to a space in the middle that dipped below the floor and held his breath. Two more Desians emerged from the hallway and looked around, seemingly confused.

"Where'd that kid in red go?"

"Not sure. Think he actually managed to get outside?"

The other guard shook his head. "Nah, doesn't seem like it. Sensors didn't detect anyone leaving that way. If you ask me, I think he got caught up in that blast along with the others."

_Caught up in the blast…?_ He frowned to himself and looked down at his exspheres. Strangely enough, there were rather inactive. Nonetheless, it would explain the debris and the hole in the wall, but how? Why couldn't he remember it happening? Thinking back, all he could remember was preparing to fight off the Desians in Triet. _Genis…_ His heart sank with worry. What if Genis had been in that room? He tried to push those thoughts away as the Desian guards prepared to leave.

"Oh right. This room uses _that_ mechanism." A series of strange noises occurred and Lloyd heard a click. "Sheesh, why'd they have to make it so complicated?"

"Let's just keep looking for that kid."

Once Lloyd was sure they were gone, he climbed out from the hole in the floor and looked around. Nearby, there was a weird apparatus, glowing blue. However, purple fog seemed to hover around it. With curiosity getting the better of him, he reached out to touch it, only to snap his hand back when the sorcerer's ring reacted to it. The once red jewel was now a light blue and radiated the same purple fog. He lightly touched it and jumped back as a ball of lightning shot out.

"Cool…" he whispered to himself in awe. Once he got over the now transformed sorcerer's ring, he observed the room and realized he was no longer alone. Robots hovered over dark blue pads on both sides of the room. He slowly approached one on the far right side, observing it curiously. Calmly and somewhat unconsciously, he reached to touch the strange piece of machinery, only to find himself paddling backwards as it whirled to life and pointed a canon at him. With his heart pounding in his ears, he rapidly attempted to draw his swords only to have it shot out of reach. Without thinking, he held up the hand with the ring, and a ball of electricity collided with bot. It fell to the floor, landing over the pad as it lit up.

As he retrieved his sword, Lloyd thought for a moment before running to the other robot. He electrocuted it immediately and smiled to himself as he heard a click in the door and it opened up.

"Alright, time to get out of here!" He ran down the hall, trying to avoid more canon firing robots and guards a like. As he searched for a possible exit, he couldn't help but feel like the place was a little strange. For one, he had not stumbled upon any other human prisoners since he had escaped. They could be kept somewhere else in the building but at this point, it almost seemed unlikely. The other thing was that it didn't smell like the Iselia ranch did. That ranch had always smelled of the body odors of several human slaves, and the scent of their sweat and the occasional smoke from whatever they produce in them which often drifted down the cliff into the forest. This shiny place smelled clean and metallic.

"There he is!" A guard shouted as Lloyd turned a corner. He stopped in his tracks and turned down another hallway.

He ran in through the nearest door into a room and leaned against a wall to catch his breath. Between whatever caused that burst of energy and fighting off those odd floating metal guns, then running from the patrols, he was tired out.

"Just what kind of ranch is this…" he muttered to himself.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Lloyd stood straight, suddenly aware that he hadn't quite escaped yet. He locked eyes with a blue haired man in fancy armor and a cape dramatically draped over his back. Something ignited in his memory, but it felt distant. There was something familiar about the man before him but he could not put his finger on it. His wistfulness was quickly replaced by surprise when the man shot a ball of electricity at him from his palm.

_You'll need to do more than that._

Without thinking, Lloyd held out the hand burdened with the Cruxis crystal. A green shield formed around him, deflecting the attack. He blinked and looked around with a blank expression. The man in front of him rubbed his temples and sighed.

"You must be Lloyd, aren't you?" he queried.

Regaining his confidence, Lloyd smirked and shrugged. "Give me your name, and I'll give you mine!"

The man laughed. "You certainly have guts!" Blue, as named by Lloyd, took a few steps forward and examined him for a moment. "Hmm. I see the resemblance." The swordsman tried to take a step back only to realize he was already against the wall. Only then did it dawn on him that he may have locked himself into a corner. All that awaited outside the room were more Desian patrols, and here he was with his back to the wall and face to face with who he assumed was the leader of the place. His hands rested on the hilts of his blades as he stood defensively. Blue simply shrugged at his stance.

"Thank you for blowing that hole in the prison area by the way," he accused sarcastically. "I suppose it needed some renovations. I am a bit curious nevertheless. How did you do that exactly?"

His smirk only grew in response to the hesitant look on the boy's face but he chose not to reply.

"You don't know how that happened, do you?"

Lloyd clenched his jaw and glanced sideways, curiosity urging him to ask about it. He tore through his memories, trying to understand how it had happened all while Blue took another step forward.

"The security cameras caught it all, Lloyd." Blue's smirk fell as a strange, eerie feeling tickled the swordsman's heart. "Somehow, you used your exsphere to cause an explosion powerful enough to break through a hallway and take out two guards, yet you don't seem to know how it happened. I wonder who you could hurt if I just send you back to your pare-,"

"I would **never** hurt Mom or Dad! What the hell do you know anyway?" Lloyd retorted as he did whatever he could to avoid his fear showing in his voice. Blue chuckled and shrugged again.

"Well for starters, I know why you have two exspheres, not to mention what that Cruxis crystal of yours is capable of." His eyes lit up as his curiosity spiked. He subconsciously took a step forward.

"How do you-,"

The alarm suddenly blared and Blue sighed. Guards outside were yelling and footsteps quickly approached them. The door slid open and the Desian from the Martel Temple ran in preceded by two guards. Blue stepped aside, allowing Lloyd to take the opportunity to move forwards while drawing one of his swords and watched both of them suspiciously.

"Sir, we've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility!"

The words seemed to go over Lloyd's head entirely as the scenes at the temple flashed before his eyes.

"You… you're the Desian that attacked Iselia!"

Botta turned his head slightly. "So. You're Lloyd. It's quite… amusing that you managed to find your way here specifically."

Blue rolled his eyes. "Botta! I'm leaving for now. Our plans will be at risk if they see me here."

"What of the Chosen?"

"… I'll leave that to you." Something in Blue's tone caused Lloyd to grip his weapon.

"Understood."

The man turned to Lloyd and smirked. "Lloyd. If you can manage to avoid mentioning me to anyone, next time we meet I'll tell you everything I know about your exspheres."

"Wha- How will I know where to find you? How do I even know I can trust a Desian like you anyway?"

"That's up to you. In any case, I'm sure we'll meet again." With one last nod to Botta, he turned and walked out the door on the other side of the room. Lloyd stepped back with his sword still out. The hulking man merely stared him down, though to Lloyd's surprise, it didn't feel menacing. It felt more determined, almost like the man before him stood there with a strong sense of purpose. However, he immediately turned as the door slid open and Colette, followed by Lloyd's parents and Genis, burst into the room. Colette was overly relieved.

"Lloyd! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?" she called out. Lloyd smiled in response.

"He looks fine," Kratos stated, even if he did look like he might have been worried. Anna rolled her eyes.

"We don't know that yet. But I do know that I have one **hell** of a bone to pick with this lug!" She pointed accusingly at a smirking Botta.

"You guys all came for me?" Lloyd questioned.

Genis jokingly sighed and shook his head. "Of course we did. You don't really think we'd just leave you here, do you?"

Botta held up his hand. A small ball of light appeared above his palm, then quickly expanded into a large sword. He swung it down towards the ground and Lloyd watched as red and brown fog hovered around it.

"Perfect timing!" he roared. "I'll take all of you on at once!"

Kratos raised an eyebrow, remembering the man's eager to leave strategy at the Martel Temple once he had arrived. Yet, even with him and Anna present, he suddenly wanted to stand for the fight. Making a mental note of his observation, he drew his sword as well.

"Get ready!" he called out. Anna paid no heed to the warning as she burst forward with her rapier drawn and effectively cut Botta and the other guards off from Lloyd. As they clashed together, Lloyd rushed to the sides of his friends to fight off the guards, while Kratos kept an eye on the situation and casted First Aid. The guards fell relatively quickly, allowing the others to back up Anna. Botta seemed to be wearing down as he parried off another of Anna's blows, until the edge of his sword lit up and he swung it around so quickly it knocked Anna back into a wall. The others held their places, expecting him to dash towards them, but instead he held his ground and chanted.

"Earthly fangs! Rage against those whom dare to defy thee!" Lloyd was mesmerized as brown clouds gathered around him then suddenly surrounded him and Colette.

_He's casting on __**us**__! Move!_

His exsphere burned and his heart raced against his chest. Time moved slowly. That was when he noticed that his body moved of its own accord. He watched through his own eyes as he let go of one sword to point his palm at Colette. The crystal pulsed. Lloyd tried to yell out and warn her but found that he couldn't force himself to speak. _No, no… no! This can't be happening._ It pulsed again, stronger this time, just as a circle appeared beneath them both. Anna was still pushing herself up from the wall. Kratos and Genis glanced over to them, the latter with wide frightened eyes.

"Stalagmite!" Colette found herself and Lloyd suddenly blown backwards by a powerful gust of wind. The two of them tumbled across the room as the spell completed. Gigantic pointed rocks surged from the ground, forcefully chucking Lloyd's dropped dual blades across the room towards them. They landed just a few feet from them.

Finding that he could control his body again, he pushed himself up and nudged Colette.

"Colette… Colette! Are you okay?" He didn't realize he was holding his breath until she also pushed herself up and nodded at him with a beaming expression. He exhaled with a shaky relief. Genis ran towards them.

"Are you two alright?!" he exclaimed.

Colette smiled brightly as she dusted off her clothes and stood. "Yep! Looks like we managed to dodge the spell."

Still shaken, Lloyd stood as well, scratching the back of head nervously. "Guess we got lucky somehow."

Genis simply stared at them both as Lloyd picked up his weapons. "Come on. We should back up Mom and Dad." He charged forward, followed by Colette. The mage followed as well, but at a distance, carefully watching Lloyd's movements with suspicion. The moment went by quickly. He had noticed Lloyd's strange choice to drop his blades suddenly. He must've planned on at least pushing Colette out of the way. Yet, even with that intention, there's no way that would have caused them to fly across the room like that.

The fight didn't last much longer after that. Botta had tried another fancy ability, Decimation Field, which only succeeded in getting Kratos to back off. Anna quickly took his place until eventually he was overwhelmed. His sword broke from the stress of battle and he found himself overpowered. Surrendering, he respectfully placed what was left of the sword on the carpet.

"I underestimated your abilities." Anna stepped forward to cut him down, only to have him escape through the door behind him. She was about to give chase, until Kratos put a hand on her shoulder. Lloyd walked up to the door, and discovered that it refused to open for him.

"Isn't this…," said a familiar voice. The group whirled around to find Raine examining the hilt of Botta's broken sword. The escaped Desian forgotten, Lloyd grinned.

"Professor!"

"Ah, Lloyd. Genis told me what happened." She glanced at him regrettably. "I apologize for the trouble he's caused you." To her surprise, Lloyd shook his head.

"No. I'm the one that dragged Genis into all of this. I'm sorry."

Anna pat her son on the back. "Come on. We should get out of here. Raine, you secured our escape route?"

"Yes. I opened it up just now. Let's go."

Without another word, they followed Raine through the base and found their way out to the entrance without much hindrance. As the desert sun hit them, they were greeted by a whining beast.

"Noishe!" Lloyd called out. "You came too?"

Anna chuckled. "Come on, Lloyd. We should return to Triet. We can talk there."

* * *

Once they returned to Triet, they huddled together in one of their inn rooms. Raine explained how Anna, Genis, and Noishe had tracked them down and told them about Iselia and Lloyd's predicament. The conversation led to Anna giving Lloyd an earful for running around enemy territory with no knowledge of his surroundings to which her son sheepishly apologized for. Afterwards, Raine asked about exspheres and the possibility of using one. To her disappointment, Kratos explained that not only were they difficult to find, but also dangerous to use without a proper crest. She then mentioned that she had also claimed Botta's hilt for research purposes, held out her hand and allowed the others to view the odd sphere that she had managed to pull out of it. To their surprise, it was an exsphere.

"I guess most Desians do tend to carry them," Genis commented.

Lloyd frowned as Raine rolled the crystal in her hand. "Yeah but, it doesn't look like you can use it right now. The key crest looks like it took a lot of damage. We'd have to replace it."

The professor frowned and began searching through her pack. Colette tilted her head slightly with bright eyes.

"Dirk taught you a lot of what he knew about exspheres, Lloyd?"

"That's right. If only the charm on this key crest was damaged I might have been able to repair it but, there's no hope for it at this point," he explained.

"Can't we just make one?" she asked innocently.

Kratos shook his head. "As I mentioned, key crests are made by processing inhibitor ore, then engraving a special crest into it. It's a secret art known only to the dwarves."

"I can engrave the crest but, only Uncle Dirk can process the ore."

Raine then dumped several old-looking items onto the floor in front of them.

"Do you think any of these could be used in its place?" she asked.

Lloyd gaped at her. "Where were you keeping all this junk?" He received a smack on the back of the head immediately and earned a meaningful lecture on the historical importance of the items before them.

Ignoring them, the others looked over the objects. Colette and Anna quickly gave up, both unsure of what to look for, though Anna shared Lloyd's disinterest in them. Nevertheless, Kratos picked something out, an old charm hidden among the other things. He held it out to Lloyd, who rushed to examine it.

"Wait. This… Professor, this is a key crest!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"The crest is rather worn. It's unusable like this," the older man told them, though Lloyd chuckled.

"Maybe it is right now, but I can fix that." The younger swordsman turned towards his professor and gave her an eager thumbs up. "Don't worry, Professor! You'll be able to equip that exsphere tomorrow!"

Her anger forgotten, Raine smiled brightly. "Really?! Thank you, Lloyd! I would really appreciate it."

They chatted together a bit longer before retiring to their rooms for the night. Colette had a room to herself, while Raine and Genis shared one together and Lloyd stayed with his parents. Anna chose to patrol the town for a bit to make sure Desians hadn't followed them from the base earlier. Lloyd, finding himself full of energy, worked diligently on the charm for Raine's key crest all while his father kept an eye on him from a chair nearby.

"It's kinda strange," Lloyd stated suddenly. Kratos leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"What is?"

"Usually, just being around either Genis or Raine while they used magic was pretty difficult. Yet ever since I left Iselia, I've barely noticed. If anything, I feel better now than I have in a while."

Kratos was silent for a few moments as he rubbed his chin, pondering Lloyd's observation. "I don't know if your mother told you this, but ever since you were a child, you were sensitive to mana. However, it might be because you've been fighting and using what mana you have around you that it's reduced your sensitivity quite a bit. Don't think it means that you shouldn't be cautious of it, but it's good that it isn't affecting your ability to fight."

Putting down his tools on the night table he was working on, Lloyd chuckled sadly. "She probably has told me, but there's a good chance I just can't remember it right now."

His father straightened as Lloyd stood abruptly. "Lloyd?" He relaxed a little as Lloyd threw him a proud smile.

"Professor's key crest is done! I'll go deliver it to her."

He nodded. "I see. Make sure you rest once you get back."

"Yeah, I know," Lloyd replied nonchalantly as he walked up to the door. As he reached for the door knob, Blue's words echoed in his mind.

_"__Well for starters, I know why you have two exspheres, not to mention what that Cruxis crystal of yours is capable of."_

He frowned to himself. Would his parents hide that from him? Certainly there was a lot he couldn't remember from his childhood, but they had always treated it as an unexplained phenomenon. Besides, he remembered the important things, otherwise they would have told him, right? What else could that blue haired Desian freak know that his parents wouldn't have told him? That being said…

"Hey, Dad," he started hesitantly. "Why did I have to have two exspheres?" He kept his eyes trained on the door, but he heard his father lean back in the chair.

"It was necessary. At the time, that was all we knew."

Once he realized his father would say nothing else on the topic, Lloyd sighed quietly and left the room. Even as the door closed with a gentle thud behind him, he refused to believe that his parents would keep important secrets from him. He shook his head to clear his mind of it, lightly tapped his cheeks and continued to Raine's room. Her room was just up the stairs, next to Colette's. He climbed them quietly, and slowly opened the door to find Raine writing notes in a book by candlelight.

"Oh! Professor, you're still awake?"

She looked up from her work. "Yes, I've been organizing the data we've collected about monsters. And what are you still doing up at this hour?"

"I was fixing your Key Crest."

She lightly pushed her work aside and stood. "You know, Lloyd, you shouldn't overexert yourself too much. It's going to be a long journey. It's okay if it takes a little longer to fix."

"So, are you saying it's okay for Genis and me to come along on this journey?"

"Wasn't that your intent from the beginning?" Raine smirked. "Stop pretending."

Lloyd chuckled nervously as he handed over the crest. "Well, I finished your Key Crest, so here. You can ask Genis how to use it."

"You finished fixing it already? Thank you, Lloyd!"

As Raine happily examined the crystal that rested on her palm, Lloyd wandered over to a sleeping Genis.

"Geez, that's some impressive snoring," Lloyd commented under his breath. Watching his friend sleep reminded him of their fight with Botta earlier. He knew that Genis didn't buy their excuse after he and Colette had barely managed to dodge that spell. At the same time, he wasn't sure of what to say. He knew that he wasn't the one controlling his body at the time. _Could it have… been…?_ He clenched his fists. Was it possible? Ever since that mysterious incident, his other voice had been silent. At the very least, it hadn't turned out like that explosion earlier, reinforcing the idea to him that he would never be able to hurt his friends or family. Feeling a little more confident, he wished the Professor a good night before heading out.

He approached the stairs, then stopped abruptly as he heard a door close from downstairs. He patiently watched as his father walked out of the inn. Even though he knew his father was probably just checking on his mother, curiosity immediately got the better of him. He quickly but quietly followed him out of the inn. As soon as he stepped outside, he could hear his mother chuckling. Hiding on the steps that lowered towards the inn doors, he peaked through between the railings and eavesdropped on his parents as they gave a whining Noishe attention.

"...gades seem to have given up on him for now. At the very least, they don't seem to be watching us," Anna stated. Noishe licked her hand, causing her to chuckle again. "We should be able to head to the seal of fire tomorrow without any problems."

Kratos gave her a funny look before staring in Lloyd's direction. He ducked and held his breath.

"Of course," she began, raising her voice, "As long as _someone_ gets up on time tomorrow. It sure would be a shame if a certain _eavesdropping_ brown haired child were to wake up to a bucket of cold water tomorrow morning!"

Lloyd sighed and stood straight, seeing that his parents were watching him. Rubbing the back of his head, he climbed the inn steps and walked up to them.

"I guess you heard me leave the inn?" Lloyd asked sheepishly.

Anna crossed her arms proudly. "I'm your mother. I just know when you're up to no good, like eavesdropping on your parents."

"Heh, sorry. And… sorry for worrying you guys earlier. I should've been paying better attention and -," he started but was cut off by a hug from his mother, and a pat on the shoulder from his father. Their hug was brief, and she held onto his shoulders from arm's length.

"There were definitely some mishaps today. But we made it through. I'm sure that there are many things you learned after today's events. To be honest, I was a little bit proud that you gave those guards a run for their money."

Lloyd's expression brightened. "Really?"

"Don't let it get to your head, Lloyd," Kratos reprimanded, only to get nudged by Anna. Sighing, he continued, "While you did make mistakes, it's obvious that your fighting skills have improved. That being said, you need to learn more about yourself and your opponent. Understanding your skills will help you fight the enemy more effectively. Fighting against enemies who utilize poison, magic or special abilities… the difference between knowing and not knowing those dangers and how to avoid them is immense. Merely swinging your sword is not enough. You mustn't forget that learning also leads to strength."

Lloyd nodded proudly. "Right, Dad! I won't forget!"

Anna sighed. "You can't just give out compliments for free huh? There's always a lesson attached to it."

"Hmph. On a journey like this, learning everything you can is imperative to not only our success, but our survival."

Anna put her hands on her hips. "That's right! You know what else is important? Sleep!" She pointed to the inn and nodded at Lloyd. "Which is where you're headed. Martel forbid you wake up late. We're heading out to the seal early so I hope you've enjoyed your late night."

Lloyd sighed in defeat and shrugged. "Alright, alright. I'll go." He gave his parents a hug before returning to the inn. Surprisingly, he yawned as he entered his inn room, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

The night passed quicker than he had expected. For once, he had no dream like encounters with his mysterious dark other self. All he could remember was someone urging him to awaken as the morning sun was rising. As he opened his eyes now, the nagging figure was back with a greater ferocity than before. In response to it, he pulled the blanket over his face and rolled over. However, they were having none of it.

"Lloyd! For the sake of Martel, wake the hell up! I woke you up over an hour to get ready and you went back to sleep? Everyone is already waiting in the lobby! Lloyd! Are you listening?"

The blanket was ripped away from at such a great speed, he rolled off the bed and landed on the floor.

"Ugh, what the... Mom?"

"It's about time! Do you think we're still at Dirk's house? We're about to leave. Hurry up and get ready! Colette may wait for you all day, but we're not going to let her."

His mother huffed as she walked out of the room and slammed the door. Finally realizing he over slept, Lloyd cleaned himself up and met with the others outside. Kratos sighed and Raine gave him a stern look for his tardiness as Lloyd apologized. Then, the six of them discussed their plan and checked their supplies.

"Well, it seems as though we're finally ready to head to the seal," Kratos stated with a hint of relief.

Colette clapped her hands together. "Yes! I'll do my best!"

Raine pulled out their map. "The seal should be in the desert ruins to the southwest of here. We were relatively close to it yesterday."

"Cool! Let's go check out that seal!" Lloyd pumped his fist out in front of him while Genis and Anna sighed.

"Yeah, Lloyd. We'll see just how long you keep up that enthusiasm," his mother stated. Lloyd grinned.

"I'll be fine! Just you wait!"

* * *

Lloyd was not fine. The desert was hot and even after finally getting inside the temple after Raine's _incident_, it was even hotter inside. Even Noishe refused to follow them in and opted for running all the way back to Triet, where he had shade. They were climbing what Lloyd hoped was the last flight of stairs after quite a bit of fighting and torch lighting. At the very least, Lloyd received a new pair of blades.

"I think this is it!" Genis called out suddenly.

Lloyd looked up excitedly and jogged to catch up. At the top of the stairs was a purple circular pad, similar to the one in the Martel Temple. They each took some gels and healed up before stepping onto the warp pad one by one.

They found themselves in a spacious, empty room. At the far end, on the opposite side of the warp was a shrine like apparatus. They walked up to it and looked around in an attempt to figure out what to do next. Raine was in awe of the whole place.

"This place is also built with magitechnology! Absolutely fantastic!" she exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

Lloyd coughed as quietly as he could, trying to see through a haze of red fog. He knew it was the same fog that he usually saw, but it was different in the temple, not to mention especially thick in that room. Luckily, he was only a little light headed. As Raine was the last one to step onto the apparatus the air around them changed and the shrine began to light up.

"Ah! What the?!" Genis yelled out as he pedaled back, away from the lights that now rose from the center of the apparatus.

"Everyone get back and prepare to fight!" Kratos barked out. Lloyd and Genis ran a short distance just behind Kratos and Anna. Raine and Colette stood on the other side of the room. Fire spewed from the shrine as a massive roar echoed through the temple. As the fire dissipated, a huge flaming black and red tiger like beast with spikes for a mane graced them with its menacing presence. Following it were two smaller versions of it, though they seemed to float with only two feet and no forearms.

"Could it be…?" Raine muttered to herself. "The Ktugach and Ktugachlings spoken of only in the ancient scriptures… Beasts of fire that guard the flames of the fire spirit himself."

"Lloyd! Distract the smaller ones. Genis! Use whatever ice magic you have available. Anna! Keep them from casting spells from a distance. I'll hold off the big one," Kratos yelled as he rushed forward, blade withdrawn.

Anna pulled out her bow and bound elemental ice to her arrows. With patience, she loaded her bow and waited as the situation unfolded. The smaller ones only seemed to cast Fireball but were often interrupted by Lloyd and Colette. When they missed the occasional cast, Anna would loosen her arrow and load another, before Genis could be interrupted or the others, injured.

Before long, the Ktugachlings were down, which left only the flaming spiked beast. While it was difficult to get close to, Kratos and Lloyd were managing, with Colette and Genis' help. The problems began when it started to cast. As Anna applied pressure from a distance with her ice arrows, it once casted Explosion around her. However, she was able to quickly dodge it and continue attacking. At one point, she struck one of its eyes. It roared angrily and shook like mad, causing its tail to whip very quickly. Kratos dodged several whips, but Colette managed to get caught by one and found herself colliding roughly with an unsuspecting Genis. Lloyd turned his back on the beast in worry for his friends, resulting in him getting caught in the whip going back. With a yelp, he was tossed farther from the group, into a wall. Anna lost her focus then, lowering her bow and unconsciously walking towards her son. He was okay, he was getting up while leaning against the wall. Kratos consistently attempted to keep it distracted and turned away. However, too soon after the last cast, it casted Explosion for a second time. But it didn't attack Lloyd like she expected it to.

It was attacking Colette.

"Genis! Colette! You have to move!" Raine shouted, horrified as the two were only just getting off the ground and both were exhausted from the heat and the constant battling. Anna turned around and froze.

_I won't make it even if I run. But I can't reveal myself here… Neither of us can! _She ran anyways as the red circle appeared beneath the two children.

Before her eyes, they were blown backwards, out of the completed spell. She stopped in her tracks amazed at the miracle that just had transpired when suddenly, it began to look all too familiar to the so-called miracle that occurred in the Renegade Base. She turned to see Lloyd, breathless and exhausted, using one of his swords to hold himself up with one eye closed. The other was on the ground. Lloyd had his open palm pointed towards his friends and his arm fully extended. However, there was one thing that threw her off.

His eyes weren't brown. They looked black.

She shook her head and blinked a few times. When she looked again, his eyes were brown and he was picking himself up and getting ready to get back into the fight as Raine healed him. She hoped that she wasn't the only one who saw that and if she was, then her mind had made the whole thing up.

Regardless, she returned to battle, just like the others and finally, the fight was won. The Ktugach fell and disintegrated into fire mana, returning to its shrine. The apparatus fully activated, and Colette approached it as the ceiling lit up and she offered her prayers.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

Remiel appeared before them once again. Anna felt her expression form into a glare as his met with everyone who stood in the room, and rested on Lloyd's a little too long for her comfort.

_They're keeping tabs on us…_ she thought to herself and glanced at Kratos, who also appeared displeased.

Nevertheless, the conversation between the Chosen and the Angel of Judgement continued, until she 'blessed' with wings. Pink fragments of mana spread from her back, like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon for the first time. Anna frowned, knowing how painful it was on her body. Yet Colette didn't let it show and she began to hover above the ground, her wings gently fluttering behind her.

"The angel transformation will not be without pain. Yet, it is but for one night. Be strong and endure."

"I humbly accept this trial."

Remiel nodded and continued, "The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at that altar."

"Yes, Lord Remiel."

With that, Remiel vanished and Colette hovered down until she once again stood on her own feet. She took a deep breath before turning back to her friends and smiling. Lloyd and Genis were incredibly excited.

"Whoa, Colette has wings!" Lloyd shouted as Genis jumped up and down.

"Uh-huh! And look, I can put them away too!" Just as the words left her mouth, her wings disappeared. Genis just kept jumping.

"That's so cool!"

"Look look!" Her wings appeared again, but this time, they fluttered faster and sparkled as they did.

Leaving them to their antics, Lloyd rushed over to his parents and Raine, gushing with excitement.

"He said the next place is across the sea! That means we get to sail on a ship right?! Hahaaa! I can't wait!"

The other adults looked at each other with worried glances.

"A ship huh," Raine started. "I wonder if any ships are sailing with the way things are right now."

"That's right. High seas are dangerous these days with the monsters returning. We'll have to head to the coast," Anna replied.

"It seems then that we'll be crossing the Ossa Trail. We might as well head to Izoold in that case, and find a ship to Palmacosta. They often deliver fish between them," Kratos explained.

Lloyd called out to Genis and Colette. "Okay guys, we get it already. That's enough."

"Okaaaay."

Weary, but excited for next step of their journey, the group exited the seal room, and found their way out of the temple with only a few tussles. The sun was already setting, and the desert was already beginning to cool. Then, Colette fell to her knees, looking incredibly pale. Her friends were the first by her side, with Raine behind her. Anna sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Hmm. Her lips are turning purple. We should seek a doctor immediately," Raine stated as Kratos shook his head.

"It's probably best to setup camp and let her rest here. Remember the angel's words. The angel transformation process requires her to overcome a trial."

"She's probably better off just resting here instead of seeing a doctor then," Anna chimed in, already taking out supplies for a camp fire.

Colette frowned, disliking the sad and concerned atmosphere. "I'm… fine," she responded weakly. "I'll be okay after a little rest. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

Lloyd rolled his eyes at her. "Stop apologizing all the time, you dork! It's not like you can help it, being suddenly turned into an angel and all."

She sighed sadly, glancing down at her feet. "You're right. I'm sorry."

The group collectively sighed but began to setup camp, while Colette sat and rested.

Camp didn't take too long to organize. The sun eventually dipped below the horizon just as Genis served bowls of chili. Every time Colette coughed, Lloyd couldn't help but glance over at her guiltily. Suddenly, reaching into his back pocket, he remembered something.

"Hey, Colette. I know it's kind of late now, but here's your birthday present!" He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and held it out to her, only to see that the main part of it, the charm, had broken off. They both stared at it sadly.

"Oh no… it's broken."

"I wonder when it broke… I'm sorry. I'll make you a new one."

She smiled warmly. "Thanks. And… I'm sorry I keep causing trouble for you."

Lloyd rubbed her back gently. "Don't worry about it." Quickly, he glanced down at her bowl, only to see that it was still more than half full of chili. "By the way," he started slowly. "You haven't been eating much. Are you still feeling sick?"

Hesitantly, she shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine. I just don't have much of an appetite." She coughed abruptly, and Lloyd pat her back.

Raine tsked. "Lloyd, don't push her."

"Yeah, Lloyd," Genis chimed in, "Colette is delicate, unlike you."

Throwing his friend an ugly face, he turned back to his sick friend. "I'm sorry, Colette."

She shook her head and waved him off. "No, no. It's okay. I'm fine really." As she coughed again, Lloyd was beginning to wonder who she thought really believed that. "Uhm, I'm going to take a walk. Just to clear my head a little."

Lloyd offered to join her but was quickly shut down and teased by Genis once Colette was out of sight. Instead, he sat in front of the fire, waiting patiently for her to return, though he ended up being consumed by his thoughts like flames consume wood.

Was life always this unfair? Why was it that the most loving and the kindest people were the ones left to suffer the most? What could he have possibly done to deserve the blessing that she hadn't received with her own?

_Why didn't I suffer through the same trials she did when I gained my wings?_

* * *

_Next:_

_Chapter 11:_ _In your eyes. In your words. In your silhouette from behind_

* * *

**A/N's: Some huge hints this chapter! Hope you liked it! Happy Thanksgiving weekend! (in Canada at least...)  
**

**Till next time! -LF**


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